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I like Lil Wayne.

People see the 'Lil' Wayne' persona and think they know who he really is. My son's father is an intelligent, loving and lovable person who will always be a dear friend. That is all.

I only listen to Lil Wayne.

My goal the whole time has been for people to see me as a stand-alone artist. I came out with Young Money, the biggest hip-hop label in the world at the time. And then it was, 'How do I branch away from Lil Wayne?'

Lil Wayne, that's my brother. Birdman, that's family.

Over the years, a lot of rappers - Lil' Wayne, Ice Cube - have used my name in their songs. I'm a real touchstone of history.

Now that Obama's president, it changes inner-city youths. They can now not just dream to be Lil Waynes and 50 Cents, but they can now dream to be Obamas.

I'm a singer who thinks like a rapper.

Swag defines an artist, period. Lil Wayne has his super-tattooed pierces and dreads swag. Jay-Z has his New York, grown man, Beyonce and 40/40 Club swag.

I listen to Lil Wayne, and then I listen to Merle Haggard.