When Lil Wayne uttered the words "I don't like New York," he clearly wasn't accounting for the wrath that would be unleashed upon him by State Senator Malcom A. Smith of Queens. Lil' Wayne's got beef with New York and now New York has beef with Lil' Wayne. "I take strong exception to the words 'I don't like New York.' Ok, so it's possibly one of the more polite exchange of words that we have heard in the world of hip-hop and probably won't go down in history, but it's made headlines, nonetheless.
Smith went on to challenge Lil' Wayne (born Dwayne M. Carter Jr.) "If you don't like New York, you don't have to come to New York. You don't have to sell your products here. And perhaps we won't come to your concerts." He then offered to meet Lil' Wayne "anyplace, anytime." not for a fight, you understand, but to sit down and have an intellectual chat about hip-hop, gun crime and violence in New York. He explained that his legislative district of Hollis in Queens, Nyc is the 'birthplace of hip-hop' and revealed that he'd like to chat to the rapper about the city. It's no secret that Wayne's not a fan of Nyc: he was arrested on a weapons charge after his 2007 show in Manhattan and spent eight months on Rikers Island, to pay for his crime.
"New Yorkers are forgiving people," said Smith. "We're prepared to forgive Lil Wayne if in fact he makes a sincere apology." Smith recently sponsored a police gun buyback scheme in Queens, which saw over 500 guns being handed in.