Rap artist Lil Wayne is paying tribute to New Orleans police officer Robert Hoobler, better known as “Uncle Bob,” who died recently.
Even as anti-police sentiment grows nationwide, Lil Wayne has remained steadfast that the men in blue deserve nothing but respect. The rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., shared a heartfelt tribute on his Instagram account this week.
“Everything happens for a reason. I was dying when I met u at this very spot. U refused to let me die. Everything that doesn’t happen, doesn’t happen for a reason. That reason being you and faith. RIP uncle Bob. Aunt Kathie been waiting for u. I’ll love & miss u both and live for us all,” he captioned a photo of Hoobler.
The Daily Wire previously reported that Lil Wayne had offered to financially compensate Uncle Bob or assist him in any way he could. The officer declined, but the pair remained close until his death.
In 2016, Lil Wayne described on Fox Sports’ “Undisputed” how Hoobler picked him up off the ground and rushed him to the hospital after a botched suicide attempt. The rapper was 12 years old at the time.
“That day that I shot myself, the police…came through there; they knocked the doors down; I was on the floor; they hopped over me, looking for the drugs,” Lil Wayne recalled. “It was a white police that ran up and stopped, and said, ‘What the f*** are ya’ll doing? Do you not see this baby on the floor?’”
“He picked me up, brought me to the hospital himself. He was white,” the recording artist continued.
That same year, Lil Wayne declared that he thought racism was “over” when asked about NFL player Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem.
“It’s the man’s decision,” Lil Wayne said. “I’m not into it enough to even give an opinion. So when he did it, someone had to tell me why he was doing it, that’s how much I didn’t know what was going on. And I kind of still don’t.”
When asked if he had experienced racism in his personal life, the rapper had a surprising reply.
“I have never dealt with racism, and I’m glad I didn’t have to. I don’t know if it’s because of my blessings… but it is my reality,” he said. “I thought it was over; I still believe it’s over. But obviously it isn’t.”
“We all want someone to figure out what’s going on first, and then put a stop to it — or try to put a stop to it — everybody come together and figure something out, and maybe, just coming together is the solution,” Wayne said.