Lil Wayne expects Drake to go Diamond
Lil Wayne Predicts Huge First-Week Numbers for Drake
As the release date for Drake’s highly anticipated debut album Thank Me Later nears, Young Money founder Lil Wayne is making bold predictions. Despite being incarcerated at Rikers Island, Wayne is fully engaged with his team, and he’s placing massive expectations on Drake’s shoulders. From a prison phone call with longtime friend and Young Money president Mack Maine, Wayne doesn’t mince words: he wants Drake to outsell Tha Carter III.
“A million in a week? I need him to do more than Tha Carter III,” Wayne says in exclusive footage from DJ Scoob Doo’s upcoming Nino Brown Story Pt. 3. “Like 2 million in the first week. I need him to do 2 million the first week, straight up.”
That’s not just a casual prediction. For Wayne, this is a statement of faith in his protégé and a challenge to surpass one of the biggest opening weeks in hip-hop history.
Behind Bars, Wayne Dreams Bigger Than Ever for Young Money
Although he’s behind bars, Wayne’s vision for Young Money is anything but confined. He’s using his time to focus on the empire he’s built and the artists he’s backing. Chief among them is Drake, whose rise from mixtape favorite to mainstream sensation has been nothing short of meteoric.
Wayne’s phone conversation reveals just how much he’s betting on Drake: “I need [Drake] to do diamond,” he tells Mack Maine, referring to the rare 10 million sales milestone. “And I try to top that. I need him to do that. He’s gonna sell.”
It’s clear Wayne is not only thinking about Thank Me Later. In addition, he’s thinking about his own return and the eventual release of Tha Carter IV. “Come straight offstage with the [state] greens on and just go stupid on them,” he jokes, imagining his first performance fresh out of prison.
Thank Me Later: What the Anticipation Says About Drake
The buzz around Thank Me Later is undeniable. Since his breakout 2009 mixtape So Far Gone, Drake has been hailed as the future of hip-hop and R&B. Many called the mixtape the best “album” of the year, even though it was a free project. Fans and critics alike are now waiting to see if Drake can live up to the immense expectations with his official debut.
Mack Maine, who has heard some of the album already, is visibly excited. In the same footage, he shares, “That n—a got some songs. One of them he let me hear, ‘Karaoke.’ It was some singing, I was like, ‘When your part come in?’ Picture that was him the whole time. That n—a got different tones now, blood. He’s got different tones now. Sh*t we ain’t never heard before. He’s killing it.”
Drake’s versatility has always been a talking point, and Thank Me Later seems poised to expand that narrative.
Industry Heavyweights Weigh In on Drake’s Sales Potential
Wayne isn’t the only one making predictions. Others in the industry are also weighing in on Drake’s potential first-week sales.
Grammy-winning rapper T.I. places a more conservative bet, estimating Thank Me Later could do around 500,000 units. “If 500 [thousand] was the over-under, I would take the over,” T.I. told Hot 97. “Given his potential and his presence… He hasn’t put out a dud yet. Not even as a feature.”
Meanwhile, Young Money affiliate Sean Garrett is backing Drake to the fullest. “I’m gonna bet a mil. I’m gonna bet Drake sells a mil first-week,” Garrett told SOHH. “The anticipation on Drake’s sh-t is outta here. He’s done so much for other artists that people are dying to hear his sh-t.”
The mix of cautious optimism and bold confidence speaks volumes about the weight Thank Me Later carries.
The Carter III Benchmark: Can Drake Surpass Wayne?
Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III sold over one million copies in its first week in June 2008, even after leaking early. With opening-day numbers at approximately 223,000, it closed the week with 1,005,545 copies sold in the U.S. alone. It was the highest first-week sales number for any album in 2008 and the first to cross the million mark since 50 Cent’s The Massacre in 2005.
Now, Wayne expects Drake to do even better.
It’s a tall order. Matching those numbers, let alone doubling them, would make Drake’s debut one of the most successful in music history. But if anyone is poised to pull it off, it might just be Drizzy. He has the fan base, the critical acclaim, and the marketing muscle of Young Money/Cash Money/Universal behind him.
What’s more, Drake’s ability to cross genres and demographics gives him a unique edge.
Thank Me Later: A Mixtape Star’s First Official Statement
Drake’s debut mixtape So Far Gone was hailed as a classic, praised for its cohesion, genre-blending style, and emotional honesty. Many fans even declared it album-worthy and its success only magnified the pressure for Thank Me Later to deliver.
Set for release on June 15, 2010, through Young Money/Cash Money/Universal, Thank Me Later includes production and features from hip hop’s elite. While the official tracklist remains under wraps, leaks and interviews hint at appearances from Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, and of course, Lil Wayne.
With radio-ready singles like “Over” already gaining traction, there’s no doubt Thank Me Later has the potential to dominate charts — the only question is how high it will go.
Conclusion: Can Drake Reach Diamond?
Lil Wayne’s expectations are sky high, but so is the public’s. As Thank Me Later inches closer to its June 15 release date, the question isn’t just whether Drake can move numbers, but whether he can redefine what’s possible for a debut album in the digital age.
From behind bars, Wayne is betting on his artist to not only match Tha Carter III, but to surpass it—even suggesting that Drake will eventually go diamond.
Whether that becomes reality or remains rap folklore, one thing is clear: Thank Me Later is shaping up to be a defining moment in modern hip-hop.
And everyone—from fans to fellow rappers—is watching.