With the release of his highly anticipated and oft-delayed album, Tha Carter IV, on the way, Lil Wayne is set to prove, once again, why he’s one of rap’s top dogs. And while many are expecting this to be another massive year of success for the Young Money emcee, Wayne himself is hinting that Tha Carter IV may be his last album.
In the cover feature of the July/August issue of XXL, Wayne explains that he wants to go out while he’s still on top and hints that his final days behind the mic may be soon.
“I’m bowing out still on top,” he says. “I’ma make y’all want me when I retire. … Carter IV might be my last one.”
The 28-year-old Lil Wayne explains that his reasons for an early retirement are none other than his
children, whom he feels deserve more time with their father.
“Honestly, this is the real truth,” he says. “I honestly think it’s unfair to my kids. I’m super dedicated to what I do. Like, it’s no questions — it’s hands down, I do this. I live this. I don’t have a day out my week that I do something else. I do this every day of my life, and I’m not about to stop, ’cause that’s the only way you can succeed in this business, is to do it the way I do it. I want to succeed the way I want to succeed. … Like I said, it’s unfair to my kids. So about 30, 31, 32, I gotta get ready.”
Even though Weezy may soon be hanging up his microphone, the “6 Foot 7 Foot” rapper says that he’s confident that his Young Money superstars, Drake and Nicki Minaj, will continue to keep his brand alive and his pockets lined while he tends to his kids.
“You already know what I expect,” Weezy says. “I expect to eat, and eat well. I expect [Drake] to be a lot more successful than he has ever been. I mean, this guy’s a superstar. He is the definition. That’s what I told y’all before he was: ‘That’s the definition of a superstar.’ And like Nicki, he’s only breaking ice. He has yet to be who he’s going to be. I’m banking on them.”
Hopefully, Tha Carter IV won’t be the last that we hear from Lil Wayne. –nicholas robinson
