Lil Wayne Proud of Proteges

Rapper Recalls Drake, Nicki Minaj's Beginnings
6:00AM ET March 3rd, 2011
Contributor : Stephen Willis
A Rocky Williform Company

Lil Wayne Proud of Proteges

Since his release from prison in November, Lil Wayne hasn't had much time to brag about his Young Money proteges Drake and Nicki Minaj. But, now that he's had some time to regain his rhythm and with Drake earning Grammy nods and Nicki Minaj the most talked-about female rapper in over a decade, Weezy sat down with MTV and reminisced a bit about how far his label's young stars have come.

"The first thing I said was this kid's a superstar," said Wayne of Drake. "I don't think you can remember, but I did some interviews back then when they were asking me about him and I said he's better than me. I can't sing. I can make a song, but this kid has the actual R&B presence. Then he's one of the dopest lyricists. That right there, he has a welcoming appearance."

"I can't front, I just thought she was going to be the new female emcee that none of these other female emcees can touch," Weezy said of Nicki Minaj. "But now, she's blossomed into a megastar with this new attitude and this style. Now when I talk to her, I just tell her, 'Do what you do, baby.' I used to be able to go into the studio and say, 'Nah, don't say that, don't say that.' You know, 'That was better.' Now, do what you do, baby. I don't have a clue about what you're doing right now, but it's working, do it."