interview by Sonya Eskridge

After hearing about Toya Carter’s take on life with Lil’ Wayne, we wanted to know what he was like as a father. To find out, we went straight to their daughter Reginae. Just like Toya said, that girl is so proud of her daddy, and it really shows.  But check out what she had to say about dealing with kids who only want to know you because of who your dad is.

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Sonya: Hey, Reginae. How are you?
Reginae: Hi!

Sonya: How are you?
Reginae: Good.

Sonya: How is Lil’Wayne as Dad?
Reginae: Very good!  I went over his house, like, on--like, last week.

Sonya: Did you have a good time?
Reginae: Mm-hmm.  I brought my friends

Sonya: Does he help you with your homework?
Reginae: Mm-hmm. He'll help me with my projects. And either he helps me when I call him on the phone, or it's my tutor.

Sonya: What subjects do you need a lot of help with?
Reginae: Math.

Sonya: So, he's really great at math?
Reginae: Mm-hmm. Real good.

Sonya: You can just tell him a problem over the phone and he just has it?
Reginae: Mm-hmm!

Sonya: Wow!  Okay. Has he ever had to discipline you?
Reginae: No. He just tells me for right and wrong. He don't holler at me or nothing; he just tells me for right and wrong.

Sonya: Good. So how often do you get to go see him?
Reginae: [In] the summer, [I see him] every of other week. And when I have, like, breaks off of school.

Sonya: Does he ever come by the house?
Reginae: No, I come to see him when he's down here.

Sonya: Do you ever get to go on the road with him?
Reginae: Yes.

Sonya: What's that like?
Reginae: It's fun 'cause you get to go all around the world.

Sonya: What's your favorite place to visit with your dad?
Reginae: Minnesota, 'cause it has the biggest mall.

Sonya: So, you like to go shopping?
Reginae: Yeah [laughs], and they have a little roller coaster in the mall.

Sonya: Does your dad spoil you?
Reginae: Yes.

Sonya: What's your favorite thing he ever got you?
Reginae: Hmmm...my favorite thing he ever got me?  He gave me a necklace for my birthday from Amsterdam.

Sonya: Wow, that's nice.  Do you ever get to go to the studio with your dad?
Reginae: Mm-hmm.

Sonya: Tell me about that.
Reginae: I went to the studio with him because I had to do a song for school.

Sonya: Do you ever get to go into the booth with him?  Have you recorded with your dad?
Reginae: Umm...not with my dad, but I recorded, like, I was in the booth and he was right there.
Toya: ’Nae what about that song you and your daddy did when you talked about him. That day...
Reginae: Oh, yeah! That day. He was asking me questions and, um, I answered it, and now it's in a song.

Sonya: Awww!  Which song is that?
Toya: It's a song dedicated to Reginae. We don't know the name of it.

Sonya: Okay, so what do you want to be when you grow up?
Reginae: I want to be a lot of things. I want to be a singer, a pediatrician--'cause I like to work with babies.

Sonya: Do ever want to rap? Do you rap now?
Reginae: Yes. I have a group.

Sonya: What's the name of the group?
Reginae: OMG Girls.

Sonya: OMG Girls? So where have y'all been performing? Tell me a little bit about your group.
Reginae: It's me [and three friends], and we performed at a showcase. ... That was fun, we did good.

Sonya: At school do kids treat you differently because Lil' Wayne is your dad?
Reginae: Some of them.  Not all of them.

Sonya: So how can you pick out the kids that like you for you or that like you for your dad?
Reginae: It's when they don't--like, when I first come [and] they find out that my daddy is who he is, and now they want to be my friend.

Sonya: So how do you treat kids that only want to be your friend because of your dad?
Reginae: Real good, 'cause if they treat me with respect then I will treat them with respect.

Sonya: That is some good advice. Well, Reginae, thanks for taking some time to speak with us. Have a good night.
Reginae: Bye-bye.