Lil Wayne signed a record deal with Cash Money Records as part of the Hot Boys when he was only 14, but his friends at the time didn't believe him.
In an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, as seen above, Weezy recalled having to prove he was cool with Birdman and part of the Cash Money roster. He explained that before he was even part of Cash Money, the label had superstar status in Louisiana and he wanted Birdman's autograph before he even got involved.
"When I got with them... I was a kid, I was literally a kid," he shared at the 9:30 mark of the episode. "Every day for me was Astroworld, you know... I used to have to go in the Odyssey [Records] store, 'cause they ain't put our faces on the first album cover. My 11-year-old friends didn't believe me, but their parents wouldn't let them get my album anyway, we cussing so I got to go prove it to them and show them my name on the back of that motherfucker. ... So when we got the deal—my mind was already blown."
When Wayne joined the Hot Boys alongside Juvenile, B.G., and Turk, he was the youngest Cash Money Records signee. They released their debut album Get It How U Live!! in 1997, featuring appearances from Birdman, Big Tymers, and Bun B.
Elsewhere in the interview, Wayne touched on how Jay-Z inspired him to not write down his lyrics. "We went in the studio, and we did '10,000 Bars,' and that was the last time I rapped anything off of a paper," he shared, noting that he stopped after he learned Jay-Z often doesn't write his lyrics down.
In another recent interview looking back at his career, Lil Wayne spoke with Tony Hawk about keeping Drake away from the world of skateboarding because he's a "very clumsy guy" prone to injuries. "I skate after every show, we have parks booked," the 40-year-old said. "So yes, Drake has been on the scene at a park with a skateboard in his hand, and we’ve all quickly stopped him, like, 'Don’t even attempt it,' because he’s a very clumsy guy. Drake hurts himself by just performing, and he’ll get real injuries."
Watch the full episode of the Pivot Podcast above.
