Lil Wayne Reveals His Secret to Success: Never Stop Your Craft!

"I go hard in the paint with this rap shit. Real hard." "When it's my turn, if I only got 8 seconds of the song, I want that to be the most memorable 8 seconds of the song." "I'm a very passionate man at whatever I do. I just want you to understand and ask yourself at all times what's the reason you're doing or trying to do or saying you do what you do." He's an American hip-hop recording artist.

He's also the CEO of his own label, Young Money Entertainment. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide. He's Lil Wayne, and here's my take on his top 10 rules for success. Rule number 1 is my personal favorite, and make sure to stick around all the way to the end for some special bonus clips. Also, as he's talking, if he says something that is meaningful to you, that has an impact, write it in the comments below and put quotes around it so that other people can be inspired as well.

I go hard in the paint with this rap shit. Real hard. I take it real seriously. I take every single thing I do, every word, every letter, every sentence, every phrase, every quote, every chorus, every verse, every bridge, every intro, every outro personally. So if you're a fan of me, then know that you get the full me, 'cause I give my all to my music. You did. You gotta stand out, you know? You gotta stand— like I said earlier, you don't want to look or sound or feel like nobody else. So you guys— I like when it's my turn, if I only got 8 seconds of the song, I want that to be the most memorable 8 seconds of the song. And thank God every time that part come on, all I gotta do is put my mic to the crowd. They already know that I am the Beast.

Why do you think your your music is really sort of hitting its stride?

Well, I work very, very hard, Miss Katie.

You love to work.

I love to work. We don't approach things like we're good. We just approach things like we're going to work and we're going to work hard. And hard work pays off. If you work that hard, you're going to get good, and good turns to great. And hopefully I'm the definition of that.

Do you You think you're great?

I do. Now Wayne, you know, for the last 2 years you've blessed the streets with the freestyles, the collaborations, the features. Not many MCs would want to do that. Like, a lot of people, you know, they want to hold back their lyrics. What inspires you to spit so much in such a short space of time? Um, man, I can't help it, I think. I can't help it no matter what. I breathe it, I live it. I get it. I mean, I think when I think of— I don't know why— I think the only way, the best way I could explain it is, what's your best thing to do? I mean, whatever, whatever your favorite thing to do. If it's, if it's to count the numbers on the wall, whatever it is, whatever that feeling is you get every single time you do that or hear that or say that, that's the exact same feeling I get when it's time to go in that booth, that stage or something. Anything has to do with creativity, anything got to do with music, that's how I'm late Message to upcoming artists today, just basically people trying to make it in the world. The message to the upcoming artists, if you are an artist, please don't never stop your craft. Don't let nothing stop your craft. What I mean by that is, example, my mom tried to stop my craft and I still did me. When my mom took my tablet, I stopped writing and just kept it up here. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, if you're an artist, then do it. Everything's gonna come in your way. Every obstacle you got, if that's what you wanna do though, do it. And then at the end of it, you're gonna be like, I went through all that and made it here.

After the Hot Boys broke up, Wayne's solo career was faltering. Convinced that the physical process of writing was constraining his creativity, the 21-year-old MC decided to purge himself of all of his written material in one pivotal recording session.

I said, you know what, the only way I won't be able to rap anything I've written again is to record everything I've written all at once, so therefore I have no more written material.

Armed with a notebook filled with all of his unrecorded lyrics, Wayne entered the booth and let loose.

Go. It's pistol play regardless of the matter. I'm a heartless little bastard. Since Rabbit died, my life's been dark and shattered. We on some family shit. You can hear the songs ripping. You can hear the pages ripping as he was going through all his last raps, and that was the last time. You ever wrote anything down.

Wayne emerged from the booth with 10,000 bars, an uninterrupted 35-minute song that would mark the end of an era.

When I stopped writing, I've noticed that everything was real now. I can't speak about nothing but what's real because I can't write nothing down. That changed Wayne as an artist. He started pouring all his feelings out. Everything was on his heart, everything was in his head. He just started putting it out.

Re-energized by his new freestyle approach, Wayne released The Carter in 2004. It would go on to become a top 5 hit and put to rest any doubt about the 22-year-old MC and the label he had helped build.

I was also saying I picked up a motherfucking guitar and I put out a rock out. I just want you to know that I'm a very passionate man at whatever I do. I just want you to understand and ask yourself at all times what's the reason you're doing or trying to do or saying you do what you do, because My reason for picking up that guitar, 'cause I wanted to learn how to play a fucking guitar and sing to a woman. That was my reason, period. I ain't want nobody to say, "Oh, he's rocking out." I want to be able to pick up a guitar and sing to a woman. It just turned out to be something else. I put out a rock album, it went gold. I bet you your girlfriend know how to sing "Prime Queen." I bet you know what "Drop the World" is. That's from off my rock album. It worked. I'm passionate. I want you to understand that. You gotta understand that if you gonna try to do something— so I ain't telling you don't go out there and pick up a guitar. I'm not telling you don't go out there and switch your style. I'm not telling you don't go out there and try to make a new song where you singing. I'm not telling you don't do that, 'cause it might work for you. 'Cause I did it and it worked for me, and I wasn't the first to do it, but it worked for me. And now everybody else is trying to do it. It's not working for everybody, but it's okay. Just remember why you did it. I think originality, period, could crack not only the UK, anywhere. Originality is— people strayed away from that. Every time people do music or anything they do now, they do it like someone who has done it before, or they do it like what they think the people want. I don't do that. I do what I know is nice to me. I do what I think is cool, and if you don't think it's cool, then I think you're not cool. So if you approach it with that attitude, then I don't think you're Now you've got— you're working crazy. I mean, I've seen you do 4 videos today, and I'm— I only saw 4, and I'm exhausted. How big is— I was falling asleep at the back, man. Man, how do you do it right now? Uh, man, determination. You set a goal, and I'm one of those people that actually don't stop until the goal old is done. Yeah, so I set that goal. I had to finish it.

Wayne says he started writing songs as a child growing up in New Orleans, living in one of the poorest wards.

And New Orleans reality is handed to you very, very early. That's the difference between New Orleans and everywhere else.

And after Katrina hit, Wayne remembered where he came from, donating $200,000 to rebuild a neighborhood park Park where he played as a kid.

And the word today and the word forever is kids.

The song you're singing at the Grammys is about Katrina, right? And that song you write, I knew some people who were in that pool, right? Are you still angry about it?

Angry isn't the word.

How do you feel about playing singing that song at the Grammys.

I can't wait.

It's been like this his whole life. Wayne expressing himself through his music.

I will always love you.

Thank you guys so much for watching. I made this video because Janet or Jeannette Sedano asked me to. If there's a famous entrepreneur that you want me to profile next, then leave it down in the comments below and I'll see what I can do. I also love I would love to know which of the top 10 rules had the biggest impact on you and why, what change you're going to make in your business or life after watching this video. Leave in the comments, I will join in the discussion. I also want to give a quick shout out to Justin Morgan from newfuturebuilder.com. Justin, thank you so much for picking up a copy of my book. Really, really, really means a lot to me. For those of you watching, you want your chance at a shout out in a future video, make sure to pick up a copy of the book and email in your receipt so we can keep track. Thank you guys so much for watching. Continue to believe, or whatever your one word is, and I'll see you soon.

Where did you get the name Lil Wayne? And by the way, do I call you Wayne, Weezy, Lil?

Lil Wayne is fine. Wayne is so perfect.

But your real name's Dwayne, right?

Real name.

So why'd you drop the D?

I'll tell you right here on TV. I dropped the D because I'm a junior and my father is living and he's not in my life and he's never been in my life. So I don't want to be Dwayne, I'd rather be Wayne.

Does he know that?

He knows now. Is that an interview that you actually gave with Katie Couric? Is that an interview that I actually gave with Katie Couric? Yeah. What's your name? Well, that's not the question. Pete Ross. Pete Ross. Pete Ross. That's a stupid-ass question. You just saw me on there giving an interview with her. Okay, so that was you. Isn't it something that you would remember if your album The Carter III was the biggest-selling album of the year in 2008? Isn't it something that I would remember that? Yes. Isn't that a personal opinion type question? Because that's why I got that. I mean, because I would be actually answering the question to, isn't it something? That's my question. Isn't it something that you would remember? Isn't it something? That's the question I have to answer, Your Honor. Isn't it something?

Do the best trying to answer it.

Yes, something out of your ass. That's my answer. Yeah, it is something out of your ass. Have you ever hired a photographer to photograph an event? Have I ever hired a photographer to photograph an event? Sorry, sir, no. I'm a superstar. People hire them themselves to photograph me. We don't hire them. How would you describe your image in the media? How would I describe my image in the media? Yes. I wouldn't describe it. Well, how would you describe it if you had to? I don't have to. Well, what image are you portraying in the media? I don't portray anything. I am who I am, and you guys portray what you get. No, who are you? Who is the real— I'm Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. Okay. Do you, uh, like to portray yourself as? I just answered that and said that I don't like to portray myself as nobody. Okay, I can please be Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. I don't portray myself as anything. An image is self-described. Well, you have to wait till I'm done with the question. I don't have to wait to anything, honestly. I, I mean, this guy right here may tell me that I have to wait, but personally, I don't have to do nothing tonight. Say hell yeah! Hold on one second. Hold on one second, one second, one second, one second. Don't throw no ice at me, homie. Don't throw no ice at me, because listen, listen, not none of these security, none of these niggas around me. It'll be me.

Tell me, how did you guys connect? Because you all are friends, and he's been a big influence on— you know, Lil Wayne and I are like this.

I know, I know. That's your dog.

That's your guy.

That's my dog.

He kept saying to me, I'm a gang in Houston, thanks to Miss Katie.

I remember, I remember the interview. I watched it, it was great.

But how did you guys get to know each other?

We were introduced through another gentleman from Houston. His name is Jas Prince. He found me on MySpace and loved my music on MySpace. And he was like, man, I know Lil Wayne, and I'm gonna play him your music one day. And I was just like, yeah, right. You know, like you never really, I didn't buy it at first, and then, and I'll never forget, you know, one day I was getting, we started, you know, we formed a relationship and we used to talk and chop it up, and chop it up is like, you know, converse.

Thank you. I kind of figured that out, but thanks for the translation.

I'm just, you know, I just wanna make sure you're good.

And so yeah, we would talk, and he called me one day and I was in the barbershop getting my hair cut, and he was like, but you know, he called me from his number, But you know, it was like, brrr, and the phone rang and I picked it up and it was like, yo. And I was like, you probably know that voice. I was like, hello?

It was like, yo, what's up?

I was like, this doesn't sound like my friend. And he's like, yo, what's up, it's Weezy. And it was, you know, it ended up being Wayne. And he was like, I'm starting this thing called Young Money and I'd really love for you to be a part of it. So I wanna fly you out to Houston and meet you. And he did just that the day after, and that formed our relationship. And I was like this quiet kid in the corner of the bus, you know, while everything was going on around me. And the Carter III was just, I think it was like maybe 2 or 3 weeks away from coming out. And what a time, what a time, what a time.

Yeah, well, what kind of advice did he give you, or how did he help you kind of take your music to the next step?

The greatest advice Wayne has ever given me, and it's a constant, it's less of advice and more of a constant reminder, which I love him so much for saying this to me, is he's always just like, "Man, please be yourself. Please don't ever try and be me or anybody else. Don't ever go get tattoos. You don't have to dress any different." Because from the day Wayne met me to now, I haven't changed anything about myself. He met me and he really liked the kid that he met. How old were you then?

How old were you, Drake, when he met you?

Oh, I was about—

I'd say it was like 2 years ago.

Yeah, 2 or 3, when that album came out, yeah.

2 years ago, so, and he was like, don't stop smiling either. Don't try and get mean or aggressive. He's like, just be you, man. Just be you and rap about life and women and family and just love life and be happy. Be that guy. Be the guy that I could never be because he can't be that guy 'cause he has tattoos all over his face. Then he has dreads and he has diamonds in his mouth and he's a completely different person.