Lil Wayne puts rap on hold for skateboarding

Courtesy of GettyLil Wayne

Apparently his broken clavicle and numerous stitches haven't put a damper on iconic rapper Lil Wayne's enthusiasm for skateboarding. Although the rapper's latest mixture, "Dedication 4," drops on Aug. 15, last week in an interview with Atlanta, Ga. radio station HOT107.9, Wayne confessed that he's going to be taking a hiatus from his music career to focus his full attention of skateboarding.

"I picked up the skateboard and I thought it'd be a hobby and what happened is it's a lifestyle.In order to be fully committed you have to live that lifestyle. With these young kids now, you have to be about that life. It's kind of putting rap on the back burner. Rap is taking a backseat to skating. I believe my fans deserve some peace from me. I'll be on my skateboard in the meantime."

In his latest interview Wayne went on to describe a flat-bar and a quarter pipe he has installed in his recording booth, "so as soon as I get off the mike, I just drop the board down and skate." The prolific rapper, who's released nine albums, 17 mix tapes and appeared as a guest on hundreds of tracks, has been performing since he was eight years old, when most kids would be asking their parents for their first skateboard.

With his long history behind a microphone, and in front of an audience of millions, perhaps it's not surprising that he's stepping back.

"I'm always looking for the next thing to do. It does get pretty boring when it comes to just the rapping and all that type of stuff," he said.

In the past year, rumors of Wayne's skateboarding have heated up, as footage of him skating parks began to circulate on the Internet. The multi-platinum, Grammy winner debuted his line of skate apparel, TRUKFIT, during the Agenda Tradeshow this past January, and is currently developing a line of Lil Wa! yne skate footwear to be manufactured by Supra.

Also, last week it was announced that through a partnership with Mountain Dew, the non-profit youth mentoring program STOKED and the building expertise of California Skateparks, Lil Wayne will be bringing a skatepark to New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward. A New Orleans native and its' proudest export, besides The Saints and gumbo, the skatepark will celebrate the community's revitalization after being devastated by Hurricane Katrina almost seven years ago.