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Music

A Year of Lil Wayne: A Mother's Day Letter from Wayne

In 2010, Wayne shared some special thoughts about his mother that ring true today.
Image via Lil Wayne on Facebook / FreeDesignFile

Day 236: "Momma Taught Me" – The Dedication, 2005

Seven years ago, Lil Wayne shared a Mother's Day letter from prison on his blog, WeezyThanxYou.com. "[T]he main reason for this letter is to pay tribute to every positive matriarch on Mother's Day," he wrote. "In my eyes, that day is 365 days a year, but I understand the significance of the holiday." He then continued, in a message that resonates on any Mother's Day:

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The love between a mother and her offspring is hands down the most beautiful thing God created. More than money, more than fame, more than cars. You know why? Because true love is the only thing that lasts from the moment you're born to the second you perish. To all the mothers who read this letter, I hope this day allows you to feel the love and respect you so rightfully deserve. You are the role models, not me.

Lil Wayne doesn't rap about his mother a ton in his songs. He's not the kind of rapper who will do a whole album about being a gangster and then randomly drop a tribute track to his mother at the end. Generally speaking, he is very much reserved about his personal life in his music, and when he mentions his mother, Jacida Carter or "Ms. Cita," it's often in service of some greater idea. In "Mr. Carter," he muses on his fear of his mother having to attend his funeral. In "Like Father Like Son," he reflects on his mother's views of Birdman over time, which went from thinking Wayne was "with the devil" to thinking the exec was "sent from Heaven." In this song, "Momma Taught Me," he quips, "Momma gave the swag / I walk like the president."

The most biographical Wayne probably ever gets about his mother is in "Playin' With Fire," where he describes his mother's "pussy second husband" trying to beat her and him coming after that husband with a meat cleaver. At the end of the story he reflects, "You can see the Cita / see the Cita in my features." So Wayne's Mother's Day letter from 2010 is one of the more open moments of reflection in Lil Wayne's oeuvre. Here is the paragraph about "Ms. Cita" in full, which is all the inspiration you should need to call your own mom and tell her you love her today:

Last but not least, my own mother, Ms. Cita. You are my heart and you are my soul. Please don't ever forget that. We've been through everything one could possibly imagine together. With each obstacle that has come our way, you have handled it with the grace and dignity I can only hope to mimic. Even writing this, it's tough to come to grips with the fact I cannot spend this special day with you. Like you always preached, a man must accept his own actions – good and bad – and learn from them. And that's what I'm doing. Mom, I love you more than you will ever know. Probably more than I love my own self. Enjoy Mother's Day because you deserve it. Also, find comfort knowing your son loves you and misses you like crazy.

Happy Mother's Day. Send love to yours!

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