Lil Wayne’s lyric notebook is on sale for a lucky buyer with deep pockets after being listed for auction with a whopping $5 million asking price.
The notebook dates back to Weezy’s early days at Cash Money Records in the 1990s as a member of the Hot Boys. It includes handwritten lyrics of some of Lil Wayne’s earliest hits, including “Grown Man” and “We on Fire.”
Auction house Moments in Time has listed the journal for an eye-watering $5 million.
According to TMZ, the notebook was subject to a five-year ownership battle and was originally listed on the site for $250,000. However, Lil Wayne blocked the 2019 sale of the notebook, hitting Moments in Time with a cease and desist letter.
The auction house claimed they were selling the item on behalf of a man who claimed he recovered it from a vehicle once owned by a Cash Money Records associate. However, Lil Wayne’s attorney accused the unidentified owner of lying and demanded the return of the notebook.
However, the man argued the issue in court, claiming “finders-keepers.” Lil Wayne failed to respond in the five years since, and in February, a judge gave the mystery owner permission to sell Lil Wayne’s notebook.
Lil Wayne Reveals Jay-Z Inspired Him To Stop Writing Down Lyrics
The journal is a rare find, considering Lil Wayne stopped writing down his lyrics in 2002. He ditched the pen and pad after learning Hov strictly raps freestyle, and he never wrote a lyric down again.
“The moment I heard it I stopped,” Lil Wayne recalled during an interview last year. “I heard that n#### Jay-Z don’t write, I don’t write no more.”
Wayne was so sure of his decision that he dumped the last of his written material in one track. “We went in the studio and we did ‘10,000 Bars’” he added. “That was the last time I rapped anything off of a paper.”
@revolt #LilWayne let it be known! Jay-Z is the inspiration to why he stopped writing his own lyrics. 🎥 @The Pivot Podcast
