In an interview aired last week, Lil Wayne declared Nicki Minaj as the greatest female rapper of all time.

On June 9, the hosts of Showtime Basketball's All the Smoke podcast, Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, sat down with Weezy F. Baby to discuss the latest in NBA news and, of course, delve into the world of music.

Among the topics discussed were inquiries about how the "Comfortable" rapper discovered Nicki, with a particular focus on Wayne's ranking of Nicki on his all-time list of female rappers.

Lil Wayne Says Nicki Minaj Is the Greatest Female Rapper of All Time

At the 40:50-mark in the All the Smoke interview below, after explaining how Wayne discovered Nicki, Jackson poses the question to Weezy, "Where do you rank Nicki among all-time female artists?" Wayne lets out a long "woof" and then proceeds to justify his response, stating, "I don't want to hurt nobody feelings but boy, ain't nobody f**king with Nicki. They come after," says Wayne.

Read More: Lil Wayne Reveals the Only Verzuz Matchup He Would Be Interested in Doing

Nicki Minaj Tweets Clips Showing Appreciation for Lil Wayne's Bold Statement

Today (June 12), Nicki Lewinski shared a tweet featuring clips of Tunechi's appearance on the podcast, one of which showed Mr. Carter proclaiming Nicki as the greatest female rapper of all time. Nicki captioned the video with heartfelt words, saying, "Love. Him. So. Much." The second clip in Nicki's tweet shows Wayne responding to Jackson's question about how he felt when he landed Drake and Nicki.

Read More: Lil Wayne Defends Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant After NBA Suspension for Showing Another Gun on Social Media

Lil Wayne Opens Up About Landing Drake and Nick Minaj

At the 39:19-mark in the All the Smoke interview below, as well as in the second clip shared in Nicki's tweet, Wayne addresses how it felt to bring Drake and Nicki under his Young Money imprint.

Podcast host Stephen Jackson initiated the discussion by asking Birdman Jr., "In 2009, how did you feel when you landed Drake and Nicki?"

Wayne took a quick pause and responded, "I didn't know they would be Drake and Nicki. I was more excited for them to see what they can be," Wayne says. "They always leaned on my confidence I instilled in them. Almost like when you see the veterans on a team full youngins.’"

Read More: Lil Wayne Proclaims He’s the Best Rapper Alive – Watch

In other news, Wayne recently concluded his Tha Carter Tour, which served as his first headlining tour in four years. Fans eagerly await the release of his highly anticipated album, Tha Carter VI. The confirmation of the album's arrival came from Dr. Carter himself during the Young Money Reunion concert last summer.

Watch Lil Wayne Declare Nicki Minaj the Greatest Female Rapper of All Time on All the Smoke Podcast

 

See 20 of the Best-Selling Hip-Hop Albums of All Time

More From XXL