Lil Wayne Talks From Prison

Lil Wayne has given a phone interview to radio station Hot 97 from Rikers Island prison in New York.

"I'm calling you from Rikers Island right now, unfortunately," Lil Wayne started the interview over a crackling phone line to Hot 97's Funkmaster Flex.

When asked about the support he's received from fans while in jail, he said, "It's been more than amazing. I promise that I can't explain the love and support I've been getting from my fans. I never knew it was like that, and I've been doing this for, what, 16 years? It's breathtaking."

Wayne went on to sing his praises for Eminem's new album Relapse, the only music he has listened to since he went into prison:

"Em is him, and he's back in a major way," he said. " ... As far as Eminem the dude, he's a great dude. He's been keeping up with me since I've been in here, and I appreciate his support."

Wayne also revealed how often he speak to Young Money stars Drake and Nicki Minaj. "I call Drake at least once a week, but I actually call three or four times a week, but he only picks up for me once a week," the MC said with a laugh.

"That's my thing with everybody. They be like, 'Why haven't you called me?' But it's because I don't want to bother. Put in this position, I just feel like every time I pick up the phone to dial a number, I feel like I'm a bother, because I'm in jail."

Wayne went on to describe a typical day in Rikers. "I wake up around 12 noon, I jump on the phone, call Mack, call family, call my mother, call my kids — you know I got a lot of kids to call," he said with a dry laugh.

"After that, once I start reading that fan mail, literally, I could read it all day, every day because it's so much. That fan mail knocks off like four, five hours of the day. And then I do dinner — whatever that may be in here — I jump on the phone again, and after that, I'm through."

As for Wayne's upcoming EP, it's on the way. "Yes, it's gonna drop before Carter IV, only on the Internet," Wayne said. "This is stuff that I recorded right before I came here."

Lil Wayne is scheduled to be released from Rikers Island in November, 2010.