MIAMI — Lil Wayne is a sports fanatic. The multi-platinum rap wizard has taken up skating, hinted at a future in sports broadcasting and always stays up on the latest sports headlines. So did Weezy have a take on this week’s biggest sports newsmaker Jason Collins? Of course he did.
On Monday, Collins announced to the world that he was gay, making him the first active male professional athlete in a major league sport to come out. He’s since received applause from President Barack Obama, as well as retired basketball champion Shaquille O’Neal and now Weezy.
“What it does for sports? It’s opening a lot of doors and it’s showing that it’s a fair world out there,” Wayne told MTV News on Saturday morning (May 4) when we sat with him in Miami at a launch party for his new Spectre by Supra sneaker, the Chimera. “Just to see how many people came to his support and things like that, that’s a pretty fair world out there. Be you.”
Wayne celebrated the release of his new shoe in a Miami nightclub, which was transformed to fit the Young Money boss’ rock star taste. There was a giant skate ramp and a tattoo artist who serviced partygoers, while the DJ played the latest rap tracks from 2 Chainz, Future, French Montana and of course, Tunechi himself. In the back, Weezy sat with MTV News and spoke on a variety of topics including the NBA playoffs, which are in full swing. With his beloved L.A. Lakers out of contention, the South Beach resident now believes that LeBron James and the Miami Heat are the clear-cut favorite to take the basketball crown. Clearly his past spat with the team hasn’t affected how he analyzes the game. “C’mon man, you know you can’t beat that machine out here in Miami man. Nobody can beat that machine. I have yet to see someone beat that machine,” he said. “I think the [San Antonio] Spurs will give them a run for their money but, that machine, the Miami Heat.”
There were some things however that Wayne didn’t have an answer for. A few hours before the interview PepsiCo released a statement to MTV News in regards to the rapper’s Emmett Till lyric controversy. The soft drink giant and its Mountain Dew brand partnered with Wayne for an ad campaign, but now says that they do not plan to work with Wayne moving forward. Tune’s rep told the Associated Press that the split was “amicable” and due to “creative differences,” but Wayne himself did not comment on the split during our interview.
He did however assure fans that he is doing just fine after he was taken to the hospital after suffering from another seizure on Tuesday.
No Comments