Lil Wayne Raps With… Tupac?!

Lil Wayne is expected to begin his prison term a month from today—should we even be surprised by the leak of a new track before he heads to the big house? Via KarenCivil, Wayne’s “That’s What N****s Do,” directly references the one-year prison sentence he’s facing in connection with a weapons charge. Weezy declares: “They wanna lock me up and throw away the key… I wanna pop ’em up and throw away the heat.” But the most noteworthy thing about the track isn’t Wayne’s mention of real-life events. It’s the song’s featured guest rapper: 2Pac.

Weezy doesn’t sample a 2Pac song, but instead makes use of a quote from the late rapper’s 2002 DVD, Thug Angel: The Life of an Outlaw. In the quote that repeats throughout the track, Tupac—whose career was similarly disrupted by a stint behind bars—discusses “keeping it real” even as he tastes mainstream success in the music business (full quote can be seen here at 4:17):

“I’m gonna stay black. I’m not gonna act white cause ya’ll want me to act white. I’m gonna buy a Benz cause that’s what n****s do. You understand me? I’m gonna smoke weed…I’m gonna pack a gat… I’m gonna get drunk because that’s what n****s do. You understand me? I’m not gonna change just cause motherf*ckers got money.”

[wpaudio url=”//idolator.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/lil_wayne-thats_what_niggas_do.mp3″ text=”Lil Wayne – That’s What N***** Do”]

As short as it is, clocking in at 2:11 and ending abruptly, the recording may turn out to be a preview of a longer track. We’re also assuming this isn’t destined to get “Lollipop” levels of radio airplay with all the censoring that would have to be done. But good job, Weezy—at this rate we might just end up with enough material to tide us over until you return.