A History of Lil Wayne and Kanye West's Relationship

Weezy and Yeezy's creative connections runs deep.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Kanye West and Lil Wayne. One is known as the Louis Vutton Don, the other the Best Rapper Alive. Both artists have managed to cross paths multiple times during their illustrious careers. Their dual influence in hip-hop is indisputable as they currently lead the two biggest crews in the game, G.O.O.D. Music and Young Money, mentoring the likes of Big Sean, Drake, and Nicki Minaj. Kanye and Wayne have achieved so much, and their mutual respect for one another continues to grow.

It's always an event when these two rap titans work together, and their track record of hits—“Barry Bonds,” “Lollipop (Remix)”—are indicative of the pair’s creativity and chemistry. Just recently, Wayne announced that 'Ye will have a hand in his I Am Not a Human Being II, overseeing the album package artwork through his design team, DONDA. While we wait and speculate what ‘Ye’s vision will be for Weezy’s next album, here’s a look at how their relationship has evolved over the years. 

Written by Eric Diep (@E_Diep)

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Kanye West Hits the Stage for Lil Wayne's First NYC Performance

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Date: July 2007

Wayne's popularity was at an all time high, and it culminated in his debut NYC show at Beacon Theater. It was there that Kanye showed up as a surprise guest, and got the crowd even more amped by performing hits of his own.

But the night took a turn for the worse. Wayne had a run-in with authorities when they searched his tour bus after smelling marijuana and found a .40 caliber pistol. He was arrested for gun possession, and would later plead guilty for the incident in 2009.

Lil Wayne Is Featured on Kanye West's "Barry Bonds"

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Date: September 2007

West and Wayne on the same track? You couldn’t deny the creative potential. “Barry Bonds” was their first appearance on wax together with nothing but a minimalist beat and boastful rhymes about their freshness. Graduation only had guest appearances from T-Pain, Wayne, Chris Martin and Mos Def, which meant that 'Ye was only rocking with the best.

Kanye West Shouts Out Lil Wayne on "The Glory"

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Date: September 2007

Besides featuring Wayne on Graduation, Kanye also gives him a shout on “The Glory.” After describing himself as “Gnarls Barkley meets Charles Barkley,” he expands on what music the hood prefers. “The hood love to listen to Jeezy and Weezy/And, oh yeah, Yeezy/I did it for the glory.”

They Appear on Fall Out Boy's "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" Remix

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Kanye West Says Lil Wayne Is Part of His "Time Capsule"

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Date: September 2007

Kanye West referred to his mega-successful Graduation as a “time capsule,” asserting that his cultural references and the artists he featured represent the year in which the album was released. He goes into fuller detail in his interview with DJ Booth’s DJ “Z” and later expounded on the point in a late night interview with Jimmy Kimmel.


"I make music as good as possible, but I do reference cultural icons, because I want my music to be a time capsule of 2007.  You throw everything in, you know, the Kate Moss reference to the Lil Wayne verse to a T-Pain feature, everything is like, 'This is what’s happenin’ in 2007.'  I want my album to be that one – if you’re making a time capsule you have to throw my album in there."

Kanye West Is Featured on Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" Remix

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A Lil Wayne/Kanye West Mash-Up Appears on Mardi Gras Mixtape

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Lil Wayne and Kanye West Headline Summer Jam 2008

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Kanye West Produces Two Tracks on Tha Carter III

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Date: June 2008

Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III had two placements from Kanye West, with the beats for “Comfortable” and “Let the Beat Build.” Kanye didn’t contribute any verses, but his productions were standouts on the record, and Wayne shouted West out on both songs.

Kanye West Surprises Lil Wayne at Virgin Mobile Festival

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Both Are Featured on T.I.'s "Swagga Like Us"

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Date: September 2008

T.I. rounded up the trendsetters of hip-hop on “Swagga Like Us” from his highly-regarded album, Paper Trail. ‘Ye and Weezy traded Auto-Tuned rhymes with Jay-Z and Tip. The single became a certified anthem.

Kanye West Brings Lil Wayne on Stage at BET Hip-Hop Awards

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Lil Wayne Is Featured on Kanye West's "See You in My Nightmares"

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Date: November 2008

808s & Heartbreak was an emotional and experimental rollercoster for West. However, it didn’t compromise his ability to make a compelling album. On “See You in My Nightmares,” West called on Wayne for a duet about pain and break-ups. Both artists piled on the Auto-Tune, adding an emotive sense of heartache to the critically acclaimed album cut.

They Bring Swagger to the 51st Grammy Awards

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Both Are Featured on Rick Ross' "Maybach Music II"

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Date: April 2009

Both West and Weezy have a strong relationship with the Telfon Don. On what we've previously deemed the best “Maybach Music” song, the two fit in perfectly on Rozay’s lavish sequel from Deeper Than Rap.

Both Are Featured on Drake's "Forever"

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Date: September 2009

Drake’s original version of “Forever” only featured an extended verse by Wayne, but the official single was a much bigger event. The single would eventually feature rap heavyweights Kanye and Eminem and become a massive crossover hit. Weezy also dropped a sharper verse than his previously leaked one. Every MC showed up on the Boi-1da beat, sparking debates over who bested who.

Kanye West Greets Lil Wayne at NBA All-Star Game

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Kanye West Shouts Out Lil Wayne at 2011 VMAs

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Both Spend Christmas Day Courtside at the Lakers Game

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Lil Wayne Is Featured on Kanye West's "All of the Lights (Remix)" Leak

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Lil Wayne Fires Shots at The Throne

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Date: February 2012

Earlier this year, Tunechi held an YMCMB pre-Grammy party at Paramount Studios. To cap off his announcement of signing Christina Millian, Wayne decided to kick a freestyle for the audience. Not one to avoid controversy, he aimed a few lines at the Throne—Kanye and Jay-Z. “I met a red-bone, I took the girl home/I asked her what she wanna watch, she said, ‘Surely not The Throne.'"

Lil Wayne Says Kanye West Is the Most Stylish Rapper

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Lil Wayne Raps Over G.O.O.D. Music's "Mercy" on Dedication 4

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Kanye West Is Announced as Designer of Lil Wayne's I Am Not a Human Being II Packaging

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Date: November 2012

Lil Wayne is prepping the follow-up release to his I Am Not a Human Being album. After premiering his "No Worries" video on MTV, he sat down with Sway to discuss I Am Not a Human Being II.

Some key takeaways from the interview were that he's set a concrete release date for February 19. He also confirmed tracks with Juicy J and talked about production from Cool & Dre and David Banner. However, what intrigued fans the most was West's involvement, who volunteered to design the album packaging.

“He didn’t do any music on this album but ‘Ye is actually packaging my album. You probably gotta ask him because it was his idea. I was just like ‘okay, do whatever,’ because I don’t do nothing but rapping. You can ask all the people that work with me, they’ll tell you ‘man, he don’t do nothin’ but the music,’ that’s all I do man. That’s all I know about.”

Kanye West and Lil Wayne Perform for DJ Khaled's Birthday

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