The Shady Truth About Lil Wayne

For much of his life growing up in New Orleans, Lil Wayne never had a truly stable father figure. He told Katie Couric in 2009 that he "dropped the 'D'" from his birth name, because it was also his father's name. "He's not in my life, and he's never been in my life, so I

For much of his life growing up in New Orleans, Lil Wayne never had a truly stable father figure. He told Katie Couric in 2009 that he "dropped the 'D'" from his birth name, because it was also his father's name. "He's not in my life, and he's never been in my life, so I don't want to be Dwayne," he explained. "I'd rather be Wayne." When asked if his father knew that, Weezy smiled, "He knows now." 

The rapper previously told Vibe (via Exclaim) that his stepfather, Reginald "Rabbit" McDonald, was the first person he considered to be a father. "Rabbit was the first dude who came in and really try to be cool with me. It was natural for Rabbit to come, chill and kick it with me," Wayne said. However, seeing his stepfather, a street hustler, working was what helped usher him into that lifestyle. "I was on the edge of doing it," he revealed in another interview (via Exclaim). "But when he came in as a father figure, and he was doing it, that was my excuse." 

Tragically, not long after being released from prison for gun possession charges in 1996, Rabbit was shot and killed. "He got kidnapped at a club," his cousin, Tiffany Jones, told The Wall Street Journal. "They shot him and threw his body right out of the car." At the time, Wayne was just 14.

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