Lil Wayne’s star has not lost any luster as the result of his prison stint, as his “I Am Still Music” tour is his highest-grossing.
Billboard reports that the tour is averaging over 10,000 in attendance per night, and a summer leg is being planned.
The tour includes support from Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Travis Barker, Wayne’s new signee Porcelain Black, as well as the Young Money crew.
“The fans stuck with him,” says Tour producer Shawn Gee. “I think [it helped] having Drake and Nicki Minaj reminding people that Wayne is still current and meaningful, as well there were several projects that he planned and put out while he was incarcerated that the fans loved. It built up anticipation.”
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In related news, Cash Money Records co-head Bryan “Birdman” Williams provided Billboard with status updates on Wayne’s Tha Carter IV and the sequel to Like Father, Like Son.
“He sounds brand new to me,” says Birdman of Carter IV. “There’s a new energy… just a different energy. He can still rap his ass off, but he took his raps to another level. To me, he went back to that traditional raw Cash Money music, just raw beats, 808s popping off and Wayne rapping, hard. It really sounds great to me.”
And what of the sequel to 2006’s collaborative LP between Wayne and Birdman, Like Father, LIkes Son? “We’re looking to do that in December some time, after we all drop our solos albums and go on tour,” explained Birdman. “We have a lot of songs we did before (Wayne) went (to jail), and we’ve been working since he came home. All we’ve got to do is pick. And Wayne likes to be fresh with our music, so we might wait… and just knock out 20 songs right quick and put those on the album.”
