Lil Wayne rekindled excitement for Tha Carter VI during his eagerly-anticipated Young Money reunion concert with Drake and Nicki Minaj on Saturday night (August 6).
The YMCMB trio shared the stage for the first time in almost a decade at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage for the slightly-delayed third and final night of Drake’s October World Weekend festival.
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At the end of the star-studded show, Lil Wayne interrupted Drake’s farewell speech to reveal his Tha Carter VI album is on the way. “I’m working on Carter VI, coming soon!” he told the crowd.
A giant sign reading “Tha Carter VI” appeared on the onstage screen as the night came to a close.
Tha Carter VI — the follow-up to 2018’s oft-delayed Tha Carter V, which was originally believed to be the final installment in Lil Wayne’s flagship series — has been in the works since at least 2020.
“Carter VI coming soon, but I got No Ceilings [3] coming first,” the rapper said in an interview with ESPN’s Michael Eaves in August of that year.
Young Thug attempted to hijack the title in 2014 before renaming his project Barter 6. “Y’all let him know I said, ‘Fuck ’em,'” Wayne snapped during a show shortly before its release. “Stop listening to songs of n-ggas who pose naked on their muthafucking album covers.”
Lil Wayne Explains How He Oversaw Drake & Nicki Minaj’s Young Money Success
Prior to his Tha Carter VI announcement, Lil Wayne shared the stage with Drake and Nicki Minaj to perform some of their biggest collaborations, including “Every Girl,” “The Motto,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Up All Night” and “HYFR.”
The trio heaped praise on one another throughout the show, with Drizzy calling Weezy “the most selfless man on planet Earth” while reflecting on his life-changing deal with Young Money in 2009.
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“I’ll never forget, I was sitting outside of the old Four Seasons Hotel,” he remembered. “I always wanted to impress you, I always wanted you to be proud of me, I always wanted to live up to all the things that we’ve learned from you.
“I came on your tour bus … and you gave me $30,000 that I was able to bring home to my mother, and that changed the next, like, six months for us. That’s the most important amount of money I’ve ever made in my life. You’re the most important man to each and every one of us.”
Giving Nicki Minaj her flowers, Drake told the crowd, “Are these bitches serious? Nobody can fuck with Nicki. It gets on my nerves. It’s like, the originator. It starts here, ends here — all that shit.”
Fellow Young Money representatives Mack Maine, Gudda Gudda and Jae Millz also hit the Budweiser Stage, as well as dancehall star Skillibeng, who joined Nicki Minaj to perform their “Crocodile Teeth” collaboration.
The concert started slightly later than expected. An on-screen message at the start of the show read: “Unfortunately, Lil Wayne had issues at the border. Luckily, Drake runs the border.”
Following the family affair, Nicki Minaj shared photos of her backstage with Drake, Lil Wayne, Skillibeng and NFL star Odell Beckham Jr.
She also posted a video of her and Drizzy sat together on a couch while joking about his history with her notoriously fervent fanbase, the Barbz.
“What’s up to all the Barbz, though. Shout out to the Barbz. Fuck with y’all for showing me love,” Drake said. “There was a time! Now, there was a time! You know how sticky it gets. There was a time.”
The Young Money Reunion concert was originally scheduled to take place on August 1, but was postponed at short notice after Drake contracted COVID-19. The Honestly, Nevermind hitmaker announced the rescheduled date just three days later after testing negative.
Marking the 10th anniversary of OVO Fest, October World Weekend kicked off with the All Canadian North Stars concert on July 28, where Drake brought out over a dozen Canuck Hip Hop and R&B pioneers including Kardinal Offishall, Saukrates and k-os, as well as surprise guest Nelly Furtado.
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Night two saw Chris Brown and Lil Baby bring their One of Them Ones Tour to the Budweiser Stage on July 29, where Detroit rapper Icewear Vezzo was unveiled as Quality Control Music’s newest signing.
Drake announced last month he’s “currently working on bringing OVO FEST around the world in 2023 for the 10th Anniversary.”
Check out more footage from Drake, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj’s Young Money reunion concert below.
