'You don't expect Lil Wayne to be singing like this,' he says of Weezy tackling Bob Dylan's verse from the original.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Eric Ditzian
Lil Wayne at the "We Are The World 25 For Haiti" recording session in Hollywood on February 1
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage
Lil Wayne might be a multiplatinum hip-hop superstar, but the MC had some big shoes to fill when he was chosen to take on Bob Dylan's verse for the "We Are the World" remake. Their styles might be different, but Paul Haggis, the charity single's video director, said the Cash Money rapper held his own.
"They each put their own distinctive stamp on it," Haggis, who wrote and directed the Oscar-winning film "Crash," told MTV News. "So say he did the Bob Dylan part — well, those are lines Bob Dylan did, and no one can ever sing them like him again. But when Lil Wayne sings them, you'll never imagine someone else singing them [either]."
Lil Wayne was initially perplexed to be given Dylan's verse. "I was like, 'You guys are real good comedians,' " he laughed at the recording session. "After I did Bob Dylan's part, it kind of hit me that I guess this is way more important than I could ever imagine."
Wayne said the opportunity to be involved in such a major undertaking is something his children can hold on to forever. As for his mother, he chuckled when he said that all she asked was that he get Gladys Knight's photo for her. "I'm still overwhelmed," Weezy said, looking around the room at the galaxy of stars that ranged from Pink and Carlos Santana to Usher and Barbra Streisand. "I was like, 'Where do I fit in?' I thought my name got mixed up."
The new twist on the 25-year-old anthem has a decidedly different slant, with a number of rappers participating on the track.
Haggis at first joked that Wayne sang his verse just like Dylan. "Very much like Bob," he quipped. But the director said the sum of the parts on the remake will be just as inspiring as the original.
"The great thing about working with so many people, " Haggis said, "these artists of this caliber, where you know them from this type of music or that, but when they really come together to sing this type of song, you don't expect Lil Wayne to be singing like this or Pink to be singing like that, or even Tony Bennett to be singing like that or Barbara [Streisand]. It was wonderful how they all morphed together."
Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.
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