This is why Lil Wayne always carries a gun, says the former Playboy

RAPPER Lil Wayne would always carry a gun with him as he was paranoid he may be targeted and killed like fellow stars Nipsey Hustle and XXXTentacion, according to his Playboy model ex.

Brit model Melissa Howe, who says she dated the hip hop star from 2017 to 2019, said he became so anxious about security he suffered insomnia and never left the house without a firearm.

Melissa and Lil Wayne dated from the end of 2017 to 2019Credit: Melissa Howe
It comes after the rapper – real name Dwayne Michael Carter Jr, was allegedly found with a gold gun, along with heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana by federal agents on a private jet at a Miami airport.

The star now faces up to 10 years in prison after being hit with one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon – and Melissa says she is worried about how he will cope with such a long sentence.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Melissa, 29, said: “I met him at a party in Miami just before New Year’s Eve in 2017 and we dated until the end of last year.

“When I was dating him, he’d always carry a gun on him, he’d have it next to his bed or on the cabinet and would bring it with him in his car wherever he went.

Lil Wayne was charged with possessing a gun as a felon earlier this week Credit: Getty – Contributor

Melissa is a former Playboy model who lives between London and LA Credit: Melissa Howe

The rapper’s charges stem from a 2019 search of his planeCredit: Getty – Contributor
“We would go to his skating place which he owned on the other side of Miami or his studio which was in a ghetto area and he’d always carry a gun.

“I remember thinking ‘What the hell?’ but he was worried he would get shot because people around him had been getting attacked and killed like Nipsey Hustle and XXXTentacion.

“And he thought he would be targeted like them.

“There were even events he would pull out of if they did a security check on him because he was carrying a gun – he would pass on high paid events just because of the gun checks.”

Lil Wayne had told cops that the gold-plated gun found on the plane was given to him as a gift.

The arrest warrant said: “There is a gold-plated Glock firearm inside his book bag… which was given to him as a Father’s Day gift.”

However Melissa doesn’t buy his explanation – saying she saw him take a gun everywhere with him, although she said it was usually a black pistol when she knew him, not a gold plated weapon.

Melissa at Lil Wayne’s skate park in Miami where the pair used to hang outCredit: Melissa Howe

Melissa with Hugh Hefner when she was a Playboy model Credit: Melissa Howe
According to the search warrant it was also “readily apparent” that the rapper “was under the influence of illicit narcotics based on his delayed speech and partially closed eyes”.

Records show officers also found prescription strength cough syrup sometimes used to make ‘Purple drank’.

Purple Drank, also known as lean, is made with cough syrup, loaded with codeine and antihistamine and mixed with fizzy drinks to enhance the flavor.

Melissa said she was not surprised to hear about the cough syrup as she saw him take that a lot along with marijuana – but never saw him do heroin or cocaine.

“When I was dating him he seemed to have so much going on mentally,” she said.

“I know he used to do a lot of cough syrup and I think that made his anxiety worse. He would smoke a lot of marijuana too.

Lil Wayne was worried he could be targeted like Nipsey Hussle who was shot in March 2019, according to Melissa Credit: Getty Images – Getty

He was also afraid after fellow Miami based rapper XXXTentacion was shot in 2018 Credit: EPA
“He got hospitalized a few times after having a seizure and he did have a stage where he stopped the drugs and instead he would drink huge amounts of coffee throughout the night.

“But then obviously that would make him have more anxiety – he would tell me he wasn’t sleeping too.

“When he was working on something, he wouldn’t sleep for days on end. He would text me at all hours 4, 5, 6am.

“I think it stemmed from he wanted to be the best at what he did but also he had this anxiety after seeing what happened to other rappers like XXXTentacion who was also in Miami and got shot.

“He was just worried that they would catch him off guard on his own because that’s what it’s like in Miami and LA, when they see someone – like Nipsey – who is successful with money, they target them.

“And so he always had on expensive clothes and jewelry and obviously his car, so he always thought someone would try it with him”

Melissa and Lil Wayne partying in a club Credit: Melissa Howe

Melissa said the rapper would smoke marijuana and take cough syrup but she never witnessed him do harder drugs Credit: Getty – Contributor
Lil Wayne is set to appear in court in December to face the charges.

Melissa says she is concerned about how Lil Wayne will cope if he is handed a long prison sentence.

“He won’t cope,” she said. “He’s the type of person where everything is on his terms.

“He likes his routine and to plan his day to day activities like a perfectionist, everything’s got to go a certain way and he has to be in control of the things like his music, when he’s doing his skateboarding or exercise. If things are out of his hands he won’t cope.

“It took him years to get his life back to normal after he was last inside so I think for it to happen again, for him to be put behind bars, it would really get to him mentally.”

Melissa said Lil Wayne was always very respectful towards her Credit: Melissa Howe

She said she was attracted to how educated he was Credit: AP:Associated Press
Melissa said she first fell for the rapper after they met at a club and he invited her to hang out with him.

“I was surprised by how educated he was, he knows different languages, he was saying how he knows French because of his links with New Orleans in him.

“He talked about how Europe has a too it, which he likes.

“He was very well educated and that’s what initially made me more attracted to him because at first I thought he was just another rapper and I wasn’t really interested.”

Lil Wayne now faces 10 years in prison if convicted Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Melissa, who has also been linked with Brit footie ace Ashley Cole, said she and Lil Wayne broke up after he wrongly accused her of hooking up with fellow hip hop star Chris Brown.

“Wayne and Chris had the same security guy and he saw me at a party at Chris’s house.

“He must have told Wayne I was trying to get with Chris but I wasn’t, we are just friends.

“Anyway Wayne got in a huge mood with me and didn’t believe there was nothing going on.

“I tried to explain but he just wouldn’t listen to me, he assumed the worst.”

The pair stopped talking after Lil Wayne wrongly thought Melissa had hooked up with Chris Brown Credit: Melissa Howe
Lil Wayne hit the headlines recently after he publicly endorsed Donald Trump for the 2020 Election.

“I was actually really surprised that he chose to support Trump – it didn’t seem like him to me,” Melissa said.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he only did that because he was paid to. From what I knew of him he didn’t seem like someone who would be a Trump supporter.”

The rapper’s attorney, Howard Srebnick, said in a previous statement: “Carter is charged with possessing a gold-plated handgun in his luggage on a private plane.

“There is no allegation that he ever fired it, brandished it, used it or threatened to use it. There is no allegation that he is a dangerous person.