When it comes to reaching out to a superstar of Eminem’s caliber, even Lil Wayne, an accomplished artist in his own right, couldn’t help but feel a twinge of apprehension.
In a recent interview with The New York Times as part of a feature on hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, Wayne confessed that the prospect of approaching Eminem for a collaborative project left him feeling “scared.”
Recalling the moment he made the call to Eminem, the 40-year-old rapper admitted, “I was scared, actually. That is a monster.” He humorously acknowledged a shared verbal quirk with Eminem, expressing, “He must possess the same verbal quirk as myself. We just can’t seem to get them out of our minds. All aspects and meanings of them. I am already aware of both his blessing and his curse. And I adore hearing how he constructs it.”
Despite having previously collaborated with notable artists such as Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Drake, and Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, being a genuine Eminem fan, found the prospect of working with him to be uniquely intimidating.
The duo’s first joint venture materialized in the form of the 2009 hit “Forever,” which also featured Drake and Kanye West. Their collaborative journey continued with “Drop the World,” a track from Wayne’s 2010 Rebirth album, and further solidified with “No Love” from Eminem’s Recovery album later that same year.
Lil Wayne’s bold decision to reach out to Eminem proved fruitful, as all their joint projects achieved significant success. Each of the four tracks eventually earned multi-platinum status, with “Forever” peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Drop the World” at No. 18, and “No Love” at No. 24.
Throughout the interview, Lil Wayne also expressed his deep admiration for JAY-Z, referring to him as the “word god” and stating, “Jay-Z, Shawn Carter, was the word god to me. He could’ve rewritten English books.” This admiration for fellow artists highlights the respect and reverence that permeates the world of hip-hop, where even established stars like Lil Wayne can find themselves in awe of their peers.