Since the start of time, the world of rap has been riddled with feed. Public feuds waxed strong through controversial lyrics have been the staple of hip-hop. Usually, the rivalries are between competing crews or gangs who want bragging rights over who is the best. However, in recent years we have seen a rise in tension amidst members of the same group and within records labels
Of all the headline-making rifts in the industry from Biggie vs 2Pac to N.W.A vs Ice Cube and Jay-Z vs Nas, perhaps the biggest that took the world by storm, is Lil Wayne vs Birdman. The duo had an enviable father-son relationship that was nothing like the music world had ever seen. With their unique bond, they became a force to reckon with in the industry. However, all that went down the drain when the pair got involved in a three-year saga, airing their dirty laundry for all to see. Keep reading to get a detailed breakdown of Lil Wayne's complicated relationship with Birdman.
10 A Relationship Since Childhood
Lil Wayne and Birdman first crossed paths when the latter was just eight years old. Birdman immediately became a mentor to the Louisiana-born rapper whose father abandoned him as a toddler. Wayne used to leave rap lines on Birdman's answering machine to impress him with his lyrics. Although Wayne's mom, Jacida Carter, initially obstructed their relationship, she changed her mind after her second husband and Wayne's stepfather was shot and killed. Three years after Wayne and Birdman's first meeting, the young rapper was signed to Birdman's label Cash Money Records as part of the duo B.G'z. This was the start of an almost two-decade relationship that dominated the music world.
9 An Album Delay
After having an enviable father-son relationship that saw Birdman and Lil Wayne kiss on stage several times for almost 20 years, the duo experienced their first publicized friction in 2014. Following the delay of his album Tha Carter V, which was to be released on December 9, Wayne took to Twitter to call out his boss. In a series of rant tweets, he alleged that Birdman was responsible for the album delay and expressed his desires to cut ties with the label. Describing himself as a prisoner whose creativity was held captive, Wayne wrote:
"I want off this label and nothing to do with these people, but unfortunately, it ain't that easy."
8 A $51 Million Lawsuit
Months after his rants online, things got intense between Wayne and Birdman. In January 2015, the Lollipop crooner announced a $51 million lawsuit against Cash Money. In the lawsuit, Wayne asked to end his contract with Cash Money, alleging that Birdman withheld from him a substantial amount of money that was owed to him. Wayne also asked that the judge end his contract with the record label while asking for rights to take Nicki Minaj and Drake along.
7 Public Disses
Wayne and Birdman's feud was riddled with public disses and verbal assaults, majorly from the former's end. About two months after filing the lawsuit, Wayne threw the first shot at Birdman in the Up Next Cypher released by him and Young Money Entertainment. An excerpt of his rap lyrics read:
"Young motherf**king Money/These my motherf**king brothers not my f**king hubbies. And sang 'Hit Em Up' to my daddy's b*tch a**."
In another concert in April 2015, the Lollipop crooner raised the tension when performing in Jacksonville, Florida. While rapping on stage, Wayne yelled out "f**k Cash Money" to fans' surprise.
6 An Attack On Lil Wayne's Life
The feud between the father-son duo was heightened and taken to dangerous levels when there was an attempt on Wayne's life. It happened that after a performance at the Compound Nightclub in Atlanta, Wayne's tour bus, while leaving the arena, was sprayed with bullets from a passing car on the highway. Wayne was on board with two of his artists Lil Twist and Hood, but no one got injured. It was discovered that the shooter was PeeWee Roscoe, an affiliate of Young Thug who was at the time forming a close bond with Birdman.
5 A Signed Deal With Jay-Z
Amid the trial looking into the shooting and Wayne and Birdman not being on speaking terms, Lil Wayne shocked the world when he announced that he signed a streaming deal with Jay-Z's company Tidal. Through the collaboration, he released his highly-anticipated album Free Weezy. As expected, Wayne took a jab at his mentor in one of the tracks titled He's Dead. Wayne also became an artist-owner of the streaming service. On the other hand, Birdman sued Jay-Z and Tidal for $50 million for streaming Free Weezy.
4 A Bid To Oust Birdman
Shortly after signing a deal with Tidal, Wayne further turned up the heat between him and his father figure when new legal documents surfaced, showing that the A Milli rapper wanted to drive out Birdman from Young Money. When Wayne formed his own label Young Money Entertainment out of Cash Money Records, he owned 49%, while Birdman's label owned the remaining 51%. In the documents, Lil Wayne accused Birdman of not paying up royalties to the artists.
3 Conspiracies And Physical Assualt
In July 2015, while Wayne performed at Club Liv in Miami, the rapper was drenched with drinks thrown at him from the VIP section. It was alleged that Birdman and his crew were seated in the section of the VIP area where the drinks were launched. Around the same time, an indictment claimed Birdman and Young Thug were the brains behind the shooting of Wayne's bus. The documents claimed Birdman and Young Thug conspired to kill Wayne, supporting Roscoe's initial claim that the beef between Birdman and Lil Wayne was the motive for the attack. Nevertheless, Young Thug and Birdman weren't charged with any crime.
2 A History Of Financial Issues
Although the delay of the release of The Carter V was the starting point of Wayne and Birdman's beef, its root was a history of financial issues that plagued most of the artists signed to Cash Money Records. There were reports of underpayment, nonpayment of royalties alongside numerous bad business practices, all leveled at Birdman and his co-founder and brother Ronald "Slim" Williams. Although Wayne was the only signed artist to take the accusations public, Tyga, producer Mannie Fresh, producer Bangladesh are among many who have complained about the record label's treatment.
1 Finally A Reconciliation
After almost three years of public disses, numerous lawsuits, and several almost-reconciliations, Wayne and Birdman finally decided to put an end to their saga and bury the hatchet. At the Lil' Weezyana Fest in August 2018, Birdman came on stage to apologize to Wayne. "It feels amazing to be home f**king with my son, I love that n**ga to death," he said. The duo went on to perform an old classic Still Fly by Big Tymers.