Sunday (April 3) may have been music’s biggest night, but it’s not solely because of the Grammys. This past weekend, hip hop and R&B lovers gathered in North Carolina for J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival, where fans were able to witness a memorable moment in hip hop culture: Lil Wayne and T.I.’s first public interaction.
The two butted heads in 2016 after T.I. called Wayne out for comments he made about the Black Lives Matter movement. At the time, Weezy told ABC’s “Nightline” that it was “weird” for activists to form a collective around the matter and suggested that people should ask about the actions that cause some to get shot by police. He also argued that his rich status was confirmation that the world understood the value of Black individuals.
“I don’t feel connected to a damn thing that ain’t got nothin’ to do with me. I’m a young Black rich motherfucker,” he said. “If that don’t let you know that America understand Black fuckin’ lives matter these days, I don’t know what it is.”
T.I. subsequently took issue with Wayne’s “absolutely unacceptable” comments and checked the New Orleans star.
“Our people are being oppressed!!! We are being hunted, captured & slaughtered out here daily!!!” he wrote on Instagram. “If you’re not prepared for a question in an interview, say ‘No Comment Bro.’ But stop embarrassing yourself & everyone out here who’s been supporting you.”
In the years since the post, Tip and Tunechi have not been spotted together…until yesterday. During his set at the Dreamville Festival, the Young Money CEO took some time to praise the self-proclaimed King of the South. “When I pulled up, I heard the motherfucking king on stage, when I pulled up. Shoutout to the motherfucking king T.I., you already know what it is,” he said.
Shortly after, T.I. walked up to him, and they embraced each other with a hug. “That’s my real motherfucking brother right there..that’s my motherfucking daughter’s uncle,” Wayne continued. “Ya’ll don’t even understand.”
See a clip from the reunion below.