Lil Wayne was born in New Orleans and maintains an affinity for the Big Easy, but he is not too fond of the Big Apple. When the rapper dissed New York City, his comments angered one politician so much that he demanded an apology from the YMCMB prodigy.
Lil Wayne, Dwayne Michael Carter, expressed his disdain for NYC during an interview with MTV News, saying, “Flat out: I don’t like New York.” Weezy spoke with MTV while promoting his new sneaker line with Supra in Las Vegas.
The rapper had touched down in the Big Apple to hit the stage with Nicki Minaj, who performed a free show at the Roseland Ballroom on Aug. 14, a make-up set for her missed Summer Jam appearance back in June.
It’s a bit surprising, given that Nicki Minaj and Busta Rhymes, two of the biggest stars on Wayne’s label, are from New York.
Although Wayne said that the show was “awesome,” he probably was ready to leave NYC as fast as he came through; but one New York senator was not going to let him get away that easy.
State Senator Malcolm A. Smith of Queens was “angry,” “taken aback” and “shocked”by Lil Wayne’s contempt for his beloved city, according to The New York Times, so much so that he organized a conference in Father Duffy Square, between West 46th and West 47th Streets, on Wednesday to demand an apology.
“If you don’t like New York,” Smith said, according to the NY Times, “you don’t have to come to New York. You don’t have to sell your products here. And perhaps we won’t come to your concerts.”
In a previous statement issued to MTV News, Smith explained why Wayne should not only like New York, but respect it.
“New York City is the birthplace of the Hip Hop music movement,” Smith said in a statement issued from his office to MTV News on Wednesday. “Millions of New Yorkers listen to his music every day. His comments outraged his local fans and residents. The group today will be demanding an apology of the hip hop star. Lil Wayne has had misfortune in New York with recent gun charges and a jail sentence.”
The “gun charges and a jail sentence” surely did not bolster Weezy’s opinion of the City That Never Sleeps.
Back in June 2007, Wayne was arrested for the criminal possession of a gun in New York City. Police said a gun was found on his tour bus, according to the Los Angeles Times. On October 22, 2009, Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted possession of a weapon in the second degree. He entered jail in March of 2010 and served eight months of a year-long sentence.
Source: Huff Post
