Weezy has always been public about his love for Hov throughout the years.

Split Image Of Lil Wayne, JAY-Z, Birdman

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Lil Wayne says he was once shamed by Birdman for sounding too much like JAY-Z, an experience that has altered his listening experience as a fan.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, the 40-year-old spoke on why he has no other rappers on his playlist outside of himself and his artists. “When it comes to rap, I don’t listen to no one,” Weezy said. “I just don’t have time to, because I’m trying to get better every day. I tell my own artists that, too. When you find a favorite artist, you’re going to start sounding like them.”

Wayne then shared the encounter with the Cash Money Records CEO that led to his decision. “It took Birdman and them to pull my a** aside and be like, ‘Bro, I’m tired of every song you doing sounding like damn JAY-Z,’” he said. “‘You’re not JAY-Z.’”

Lil Wayne Wearing Shirt

Lil Wayne performs onstage during the EA Sports Bowl at Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest on January 30, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for EA Sports Bowl at Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest )

While Lil Wayne didn’t disclose the exact period when the conversation took place, it’s plausible to believe it occurred during the mid ’00s. It was during that time the rapper began proclaiming himself “the best rapper alive” following JAY-Z’s brief retirement after The Black Album.

The New Orleans native, who had said that the mogul is his favorite rap artist on numerous occasions, was even tempted to sign with JAY-Z after fulfilling his first contract with Cash Money Records. However, Wayne ultimately signed back with Birdman and Cash Money despite mutual interest between himself and The ROC.

Elsewhere in the interview, Wayne admits that he doesn’t remember much about the recording of Tha Carter series and can’t provide much insight into the making of each particular album. “I’m going to be so honest with you: I don’t know Tha Carter III, Tha Carter II, Tha Carter I from Tha Carter IV,” he told the outlet. “And that’s just my God’s honest truth. You could lie, you could ask me [about] such and such song, I wouldn’t even know what we talking about.”

The rapper is gearing up for the release of ColleGrove 2, the sequel to his collaborative album with 2 Chainz. He also has plans to release Tha Carter VI and I Am Not a Human Being III.