Lil Wayne is opening up about his experience behind bars and how he continued making music during his sentence. The rapper discussed his experiences at Rikers Island and his daily life inside the prison. He talked about how he maintained his focus on his music during the difficult times. He said people around him helped him out during that time.
Lil Wayne recalled recording music while watching television during his jail sentence
On Tuesday, July 21, Lil Wayne appeared on the “Friends Keep Secrets” podcast and talked about his 8-month prison sentence at Rikers Island in New York in 2010. The five-time Grammy winner claimed, “It was just me on the phone, and [that way] I can actually record.”
He said, “That meant everybody be quiet. I’m about to beat on this damn table.” When describing his recording process, he said he used to tell others, “I’m about to beat on this damn table.”
According to PEOPLE, during his time in jail, Lil Wayne said his bedtime was 10:45 p.m. The rapper said most people around him did not pay attention to what he was doing. He said that his companions in prison helped him through the experience.
When asked if his time behind bars was the worst year of his life, Lil Wayne said it was not. He credited the people around him for helping him through the experience. He initially tried to pass the time as quickly as possible, but eventually began watching TV with people. While there, he watched Discovery Channel’s “Naked and Afraid.”
Lil Wayne was sentenced after pleading guilty to the weapons charge. He was released from Rikers Island in November 2010 after serving eight months. Before entering jail, he spoke about accepting the situation during a 2010 interview with Rolling Stone. Rapper Fat Joe also said in 2022 that he visited Lil Wayne in jail and passed along the words of advice the rapper gave him to “be humble.”
Lil Wayne’s jail experience became another chapter in his long career. During that period, the rapper was engrossed in music and learned from people around him, he said. His remarks revealed his approach to a challenging time while remaining true to his craft.
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