Kobe Bryant’s death hit hard for a number of celebrities and musicians, including his friend Lil Wayne.
In a new interview for MTV’s new short-form music series Fresh Out Live, Wayne talked about his admiration for Kobe’s work ethic and tenacious spirit.
“As a kid, being a fan, watching him on TV, and going to a game and just not knowing him at all—and just being a super fan and knowing, ‘Wow he’s really that person off the court in every situation in life.’ He really has that mentality, just relentless in everything and he strives to be the best in everything. It’s impossible to have a conversation with him and walk away from that conversation not trying to be better at something," Wayne told host Jamila Mustafa.
Weezy also discussed Kobe’s legacy. “I think the main thing for me is, what I admire the most is how it evolved,” he said. “He became a champion. It’s very hard to become a champion. Not to mention, he did it again—not to mention, he did it again—not to mention, he did it again and then again.”
He continued: “The admiration comes from after all that... You listen to Vanessa talk at the [memorial] in Staples Center the other night, and now you get the full rounding of it. You hear how he was a perfect dad, he was a great dad, and you hear how he was this and that, but you gotta hear that from his children and his wife. Vanessa spoke, and you hear that from her. And you see, OK, that's when you're not hearing it no more; you're listening. And then when you listen to Vanessa speak about it, and that’s when it just comes full circle, and that’s what his legacy was to me. He was, again, relentless and strived to be the best in every single lane there was in life.”
Watch the full clip up top. Lil Wayne's Fresh Out Live interview will air today (March 6) at 5 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
Weezy paid tribute to Kobe on the Jay Rock-featuring song “Bing James” from his most recent album Funeral. The song—track eight on the project—concludes with 24 seconds of silence, a salute to Kobe’s Lakers jersey numbers.
