Lil Wayne graces the cover of GQ‘s Music Issue with fellow music masters Eminem and Keith Richards. In the issue, Weezy F. spoke candidly about what he plans to do after he hangs up the mic at 35. The Young Money rapper, who is currently on probation, also described how it feels to be sober and why he is obsessed with skateboarding and tattoos. And in a more honest moment, he opened up about his complicated relationship with his biological father. Read some of the highlights from the interview below.
On what he plans to do after retiring at 35: “I can do this Lil Wayne thing, and my boys will be about 7 and 8 years old. And man, it’s all about them then. You know, whatever they’re doing. Sports. Whatever they’re into. That’s where I am. I’m at every game. I’m the dad with the hat on. The jersey. That’s me.”
On leaving the rap game: “I feel like I’ll be a new me, and how good is that? To actually be opening a brand new door of life at 35? That’d be awesome. Totally awesome. I’m looking forward to it.”
On his time in jail: “It just helped me on my way, helped me with life. Cleared me up, cleaned me up, opened my eyes to things. I definitely thank God for that moment instead of looking at it as a problem or a bad situation. I needed it.”
On how it feels to be drug free: “I drank syrup and smoked a lotta weed. I wish I could be back on it. That’s how it fucking feels. ‘How does it feel to be sober?’ I’ll be like, ‘It feels fucked-up.’ What you want me to say? ‘It feels great’? No. I was on something that the doctor prescribed. I was ill, and that was helping me.”
On his love for skateboarding: “I’m still a kid, because unfortunately my childhood was raped away from me because I became a star, a rapper, or whatever you want to call it, and you can’t be a kid and a rapper at the same time. … So I was just watching TV, and I was like, ‘Yeah. I want to do that!’ And I called a guy and I said, ‘I want a ramp on my roof.’ I have a pretty big roof at home. So I put a ramp on the roof, and man, I’ve been skating ever since.”
On his relationship with his biological father: “He don’t give a shit about me. And I don’t give a shit about him. … I don’t want to look like his ass, but I do.”
On why he has so many tattoos: “I think somebody slipped something in my drink, like a drug that’ll make you get, like, a bunch of tattoos.”