Birdman has addressed the misconceptions surrounding the launch of Rich Gang in 2014, a collaboration with Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan, which coincided with his fallout with Lil Wayne.

During a recent appearance on Renaissance Man with Jalen Rose, published on Wednesday (January 24), Birdman responded to Rose’s suggestion that Rich Gang was born out of a need for the music mogul to reinvent himself. Birdman offered a different perspective.

“I never felt that I had to reinvent,” he explained. “I felt that when I went and did the Rich Gang, I watched Wayne work so, so hard and I saw some talent and I was like, ‘I found something, Mulah. I found something where you can kick your feet up.’ Because all he ever wanted to do was make sure I kick my feet up. All he ever wanted to do.”

He continued: “And he rapped about it: ‘Stunna kick your feet up, I got this shit!’ So when I met Thugga, I was like man, this n-gga cold. And I’m thinking [Wayne] wanna relax, but he ain’t tryna relax! This n-gga on a full blown mission. He ain’t giving a fuck about nothing. Anything in his way, he gon’ eat em.

“But that was my whole thing when I met Thug and them and I just saw something special in them. And we did the Rich Gang and we fucked the game up with it.”

The launch of Rich Gang led to speculation that Birdman was trying to replace Lil Wayne with Young Thug, especially when Young Thug initially named his 2015 mixtape Carter 6, later changing it to Barter 6.

Wayne was unsure if he was being trolled or if Young Thug was paying homage to his legendary Carter series.

In 2019, Young Thug revealed that he didn’t think Wayne liked him, and by the end of 2020, during an interview with the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, he recounted the first time they met and how Wayne didn’t acknowledge him.

“I got that n-gga name tattooed,” Thug said. “This n-gga’s name tattooed, it’s gang. He knew [I was a fan], for sure. I’m honest. I’m just a real person. I don’t know how to be in a room and be fake.”

He continued, “Man that n-gga gotdamn … the first day he didn’t dap me up. Tried me. Now my feet hurt and I’ma real stepper. Left the pimpin’ hanging. One time I dapped him up (and gave me weak dap). I’m like, ‘Hey listen bruh, I’m never touching your hand again.’ Just off of that. I’m a player, I’m a real player and I don’t give no fuck. Nothing about me is a groupie, no nothing! You inspired me.”

Lil Wayne eventually clarified that he understood there was mutual respect between him and Thug when he spoke on Drink Champs in 2020.

“I looked at it as total respect,” Wayne said regarding Thug’s Barter 6 title. “When we talk personally, he’s got nothing but respect for me. Before he says one more word to me, he lets me know how much he respects me and is a fan of my shit.”

Ultimately, Lil Wayne and Birdman were able to reconcile their longstanding feud following a dispute over the release of Tha Carter V in late 2014.