Birdman has clarified comments that were believed to be directed at Lil Wayne and related to his absence from the Hot Boys’ reunion performance at the 2024 ESSENCE Festival.
Speaking to Gregory “Geedy P” Earls earlier this week, the Cash Money Records founder set the record straight, making it clear that he has no qualms about Weezy. Birdman also revealed that Wayne originally didn’t want to perform at the annual music festival at all and only agreed to take the stage at his request.
“I heard ni**as talking about, ‘Wayne doesn’t want to do this and that,'” Birdman told Geedy P during the interview, which surfaced on Monday (August 5). “Wayne didn’t even want to do Essence. I called my son and asked him to do it because I was doing Birdman & Friends. He did it because I asked him to.”
Lil Wayne performs on day one of the 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 5, 2024.
Josh Brasted/Getty Images for ESSENCE
The longtime CEO also noted that Weezy’s decision to perform separately from the rest of the crew was predetermined and understood by everyone involved, especially his bandmates from the Hot Boys.
“We always knew Wayne would have his own set. Because me, Juvie, Geezy and Fresh rehearsed together every day and had our own set. But we all knew Wayne would have his own set. He was just a surprise guest,” Birdman explained.
“He was on Essence two years in a row and personally turned it down. I asked him if he would do it for me and he did it for me. Shout out to my son Weezy, man.”
Birdman and Lil Wayne attend the 2013 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on August 22, 2013.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for BMI
Birdman’s comments come in the wake of the mogul’s “Birdman & Friends” performance at ESSENCE Fest, which was largely heralded as the first official reunion of the entire Hot Boys lineup in two decades. However, Birdman took the stage with Juvenile, BG, Mannie Fresh and a number of outside collaborators, and Weezy followed that performance with one of his own alongside artists from Young Money.
Towards the end of his own performance, Birdman seemed to take a jab that many attributed to his anger that Weezy did not join him and his bandmates on stage. “I swear to God on everything I love – and I love nothing more than Ms. Gladys – I will never let my city down and I will never be a pussy to anyone,” the 55-year-old told his hometown audience at the time.
Rapper Birdman attends BET’s premiere event “Music Moguls” at 1OAK in West Hollywood, California on June 27, 2016.
Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for BET
But the Big Tymers member says he wasn’t referring to Lil Wayne, but to the hip-hop and music industry as a whole. “What I meant by that is I’m not going to let this game play me. The game has played a lot of ni**as. I’m never going to act like a wimpy ni**a to this industry and let them play me. I’m not built that way and I’m not going to let my city down by acting like a wimpy ni**a,” he said.
Watch Birdman’s interview with Gregory “Geedy P” Earls below.
