Lil Wayne and commentator Skip Bayless share their unlikely friendship: ‘There is no man on earth I would rather talk to about sports or life than this man’

The lifelong friends are up about their long-lasting careers, the Taylor Swift influence, and their current lives in an interview with PEOPLE.

On a Friday morning in the middle of October, Skip Bayless has just wrapped up filming his Undisputed segment for Fox Sports 1. Like he does every Friday since the end of August, he was joined on the program by his friend Lil Wayne for a sports argument part that demonstrated their easygoing connection.

Following their reunion with PEOPLE via Zoom, it is evident how close the 71-year-old sports commentator and 41-year-old rapper have become off-air friends in the fifteen years since they first crossed paths when Wayne was invited to appear as a guest on Bayless’s former ESPN program First Take.”Right away he caught my ear because in our pre-show meeting, we talked about Steph Curry and Blake Griffin, who were then about to be drafted by the NBA,” Bayless relates. “When he said that he thought Steph was superior than Blake, it pleasantly surprised me. I had always felt this way, and ESPN employees thought I was crаzy. “This man really knows sports,” I said.

“Then, as we began to communicate, his depth of knowledge impressed me in ways very few people ever do,” he says. “I normally don’t spend my time listening to others speak about sports since I feel like I know a lot more than they do. But this guy is the only individual on the planet I would prefer chat to about sports or life in general. We may be from such different places on the planet, but our perspectives on life and athletics are quite similar.”

Lil Wayne Becomes a Strategic Advisor and Joins the Ownership Group of Texas Ranchers Pickleball TeamThe following has Wayne (real nаme: Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.) and Bayless talking openly about their enduring relationship, storied careers, the Taylor Swift influence, and their current lives.PERSONS: Wayne, Skip and his co-hosts were talking about how Taylor Swift hysteria has affected the NFL before you got on the program today.

LIL WAYNE: This is absurd. The Kansas City Swifties. I was shocked to learn that we had discussed Taylor Swift at all. “Are we talking about this?” I asked.

SKIP BAYLESS: Not at all? You were there the last time she performed…

LW: Definitely.

SB: You also shared with me anecdotal evidence of her exceptional skill set.

LW: In agreement. Her admirers may really consider her an artist. She supports them. She is for the Swifties, or anyone you want to nаme them. Nicki Minaj is an artist I work with, and she has the Barbz. Although Nicki hasn’t been doing it as long as Taylor, you can see that her fan base is constantly there. “How does she do back-to-back days in one city like that, and it fills out every night?” was the question I had asked someone. “Well, I worked with her in the beginning of her career,” he said. One thing that really stuck out to me, however, was that she always made sure, during a meet and greet after each event, that we got 2,500 people to talk with her, regardless of the location or state we were in. She didn’t share the same information with anybody. He said something like, “Those 2,500 individuals were teens or younger when she was a teenager. Thus, in my opinion, it explains why she is able to go back-to-back. All 2,500 of the individuals she met each night had grown up and started their own families with girls.” She has always been there for her followers. You confirmed that you wаnted the audience to know how much they matter to you as an artist, and if they could really understand that.

When Taylor Swift wore her jacket to Travis Kelce’s game, Erin Andrews began “screaming”: “Huge Moment”PERSONS: Which lesson have you learned the most from working on this production together?

LW: I’m learning how to adapt to changing circumstances by learning how to work quickly. As we speak, things may actually change. It might sound on your phone, saying something like “this person has been traded.” Additionally, I’m learning how to treat the individuals I’m speaking about with respect. I’m developing my ability to be critical but polite.

SB: I take great satisfaction in my ability to bring out the best in my partners. It takes time and is referred to as chemistry. Our relationship off-air has developed over many years, but it’s very different on television. I’m getting to know his TV routines, his favorite activities, how he reacts to certain situations, and his comfort zone. It just requires practice. It is impossible to fake. It cannot be practiced. All you need to do is stay at it. All I know is that when he joins us for the final half of the concert, my enthusiasm level skyrockets. My motto is “The GOAT is here.”

PERSONS: Has anybody ever said to Wayne, “Hey, why’d you sаy that about me?” after a performance?

LW: I have never received a “Why’d you sаy that?” question. However, I did get a couple messages that said something like, “Let them know I did this, and let them know that.”

SB: You just have to accept the clout in this industry, dude.

LW: I tell it like it is. Yes, I most certainly do. In addition, there have been occasions when I’ve seen someone to whom I know I’ve said something оffensive. I had to apologize for saying something like, “You shouldn’t have missed the catch,” in front of them. I really apologize.” The response would be something like, “You know what? You’re correct, dude.” Additionally, they’ll educate you on details regarding a certain play or circumstance that you were unaware of. It’s an educational process.

Lil Wayne’s 2023 Opening Performance Lights Up the Stage MTV VMAs Participants: Wayne, you had a very early career in music. Did you have a lot of sports in your early years?

LW: Obviously. I was raised by my grandma, Mercedes Carter, who is an avid sports enthusiast. She was a fan of the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and New Orleans Saints. I had to watch TV whenever any of those three teams were playing, and now it was just the two of us. Me and her alone. There was no great celebration in progress. My mother likes sports like that, so she passed it on to her. I went to the park to play football with my mom. I did not enlist on my own. I went to the park to play baseball with my mom. Sports were thus constantly present and somewhat required.

PERSONS: Beyond your shared passion for athletics, you and Skip had a difficult upbringing and had to work really hard to achieve your current status. Were you two bonded by it too?

LW: Definitely, yes. Naturally, there is the cliche that goes, “We started from the bottom,” and so on, but what really strikes me as comparable is how committed he was to his passion from an early age. He was simply thinking about what really important. That’s what I was, too. My mother wasn’t even interested in me rapping, so I had to be obsessed. She just said, “You’re too intelligent.” You’ll become a physician or a lawyer. It’s not like you’re going to rhyme words. You’re not going to do that.” In the past, she would really remark, “You’re not about to just be making words rhyme, boy.” I had to concentrate on my beliefs, and she could see it. Skip played sports, loved sports, and continues to be as involved in sports as he can be. And like LeBron, I’m still here.

SB: Excellent line!