Together, Lil Wayne and Eminem have collaborated on three notable songs: “Forever” in 2009, featuring Drake and Kanye West, and “Drop the World” and “No Love” released in 2010.
Even Lil Wayne, despite his fame, experiences nervousness when reaching out to collaborate with a superstar like Eminem. In a recent interview with The New York Times, as part of a feature on the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Lil Wayne candidly shared his feelings of being “scared” when contemplating the idea of asking Eminem to work together for the first time.
“I was scared, actually, when I called Eminem for a song,” admitted Wayne, who is now 40 years old. “That is a monster.”
Lil Wayne went on to discuss the profound connection he shares with Eminem when it comes to words and their profound impact. Both artists have a deep understanding of the power of words, with their meanings and rhymes resonating in their minds. Wayne expressed his admiration for Eminem’s unique talent in putting words together, recognizing the gift and curse that accompanies such exceptional skill.
During that time, Lil Wayne had already teamed up with several well-known rappers such as Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Drake, and Nicki Minaj. However, approaching Eminem for collaboration felt different due to Wayne’s immense admiration for him as a fan.
Their first joint effort was on Drake’s 2009 track “Forever,” which also featured Kanye West. Following this, they collaborated as a duo for Wayne’s 2010 album “Rebirth” on the song “Drop the World.” They reunited once again for “No Love,” a track on Eminem’s 2010 album “Recovery.”
Despite feeling intimidated, Lil Wayne’s decision to reach out to Eminem proved to be a success, as all of their collaborations became major hits. “Forever” reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Drop the World” peaked at No. 18, and “No Love” landed at No. 24 on the same chart. Furthermore, all four songs achieved multi-platinum status, solidifying their impact and popularity.
In the New York Times interview, Lil Wayne also expressed his profound admiration for JAY-Z, considering him the master of words and acknowledging his exceptional talent in shaping the English language.
Lil Wayne shared his introduction to JAY-Z through listening to Biggie’s music. He particularly highlighted “Lucky Me” from JAY-Z’s album “In My Lifetime, Vol. 1,” which he learned thoroughly, both forwards and backwards. The impact of the song was so significant that Wayne incorporated its words into his own music. In fact, he starts every show by reciting lines from “Lucky Me.”
He proceeded to quote the lyrics: “And I swear to everything when I leave this earth / it’s gon’ be on both feet, never knees in the dirt / you could try me, [expletive] / but when I squeeze it hurts / fine…”
The remarkable part is that during his performances, when Wayne pauses the music at that specific section, the audience sings along with him, as if those words were his own creation. However, Wayne humbly acknowledges that all credit for those powerful lines belongs to JAY-Z.
