Lil Wayne Sends Affection To Vanessa Bryant While Paying Tribute To Kobe During BET Awards Tribute

LilTuneChi aka Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record executive, entrepreneur, and actor. He is regarded by many contemporaries as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, and often cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Kobe’s death

On Sunday, January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, around 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, while en route from John Wayne Airport to Camarillo Airport. Nine people were on board, including retired professional basketball player Kobe Bryant, who is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, baseball coach John Altobelli, five other passengers, and the pilot. Everyone on the helicopter was killed.

Lil Wayne pays musical tribute to Lakers legend Kobe Bryant

Lil Wayne was a guest performer on the BET Awards broadcast on June 28, where he did a rendition of his 2009 track “Kobe Bryant” as a tribute to the late NBA legend.

Kobe Bryant died earlier this year at the age of 41. Following the news of his death, countless artists paid tribute to the late icon, including Drake, Cardi B, Flea, Kanye West, and many others.

Lil Wayne has had a busy year; he dropped a new album called Funeral (which later received a deluxe edition), took a turn on The Masked Singer, and launched his own Beats 1 show titled Young Money Radio. In 2018, Weezy dropped his long-awaited LP Tha Carter V.

The original lyrics already painted Kobe as a legend: he perfumed his 2009 track, “Kobe Bryant”. But, in the wake of recent events, Weezy updated the track to acknowledge the passing of and to honor Kobe and Gianna.

“He the greatest on the court …
And I’m the greatest on the verse.
Goin’ for the 4th ring like it was his 1st…
Gotta get the gleam. Do it for Kareem …
2-4 so nice. My flow is so mean.”

“Two fingers for the Mambacita. I’m screamin’ ‘Black Mamba matters.'”

He continued … “Heart goes out to Vanessa and the whole Black Mamba family.”G-O-A-T like Kobe Bean, rest in power and hope for peace.”

Vanessa acknowledged it on her Instagram page — calling Wayne’s performance a “beautiful tribute.”

The BET Awards tweeted out the video, saying “RIP Kobe.”

Lil Wayne walked off the stage to end the tribute, leaving Bryant to have the last word. The tribute ended with Bryant saying farewell in his uniform to Lakers fans: “Mamba out.”