Born and raised in New Orleans, Lil Wayne is one of the wealthiest rappers alive and in a recent interview with Billboard magazine, the Young Money mogul expressed his views on the rise of artificial intelligence and how it may affect the music industry.
In a conversation with Gail Mitchell of Billboard, the emcee spoke on various topics, including his tips for upcoming rappers and the key to a long career. When asked about how he has managed to achieve such longevity, Carter responded, “I don’t have a secret. I just work. I just keep going. I never stop.”
He continued, “It’s just the work ethic, plain and simple. No more, no less; I don’t do nothing but my music. And also, in my mind, every single time I say the word “work,” I ask God to forgive me. Cuz I know this has never been a job. It’s just a dream come true. So that’s why I’ve never stopped.”
The ‘6 foot 7 foot’ act also spoke on the slew of female lyricists in the culture following the explosion of Nicki Minaj, who he fostered in her early days. Explaining why it took so long, the artist revealed, “My answer would be, honestly, that it just wasn’t as interesting to women, I don’t think, in the way that Nicki, Meg and others are. It’s awesome. I don’t think they looked at or viewed it as something that they wanted to do and actually make a living from.”
However, during the course of their conversation, one of the topics that arose was artificial intelligence and the potential effects it may have on the music industry. The issue has been very concerning recently and has been scrutinised by a number of figures, including Joe Budden and DJ Akademiks.
Carter addressed AI’s potential effect on creativity within rap and responding to Mitchell’s question, responded, “Someone asked me about that recently. And they were trying to tell me that AI could make a voice that sounds just like me.
He continued, “But it’s not me because I’m amazing. I’m like, is this AI thing going to be amazing too? Because I am naturally, organically amazing. I’m one of a kind. So actually, I would love to see that thing try to duplicate this motherf*cker.” You can watch Wayne’s full interview in the video below.
