LIL WAYNE ON WHY HE'LL NEVER STOP SIPPING SYRUP: 'IT AIN'T THAT EASY...LET ME DO ME.'

Lil Wayne is popping off at folks who have an issue with him and the syrupy narcotic beverage he holds in his ever present Styrofoam cup. The rapper who spit, "I like my Sprite Easter-pink," on DJ Khaled's We Takin' Over and declared "weed and syrup till I die" on Playaz Circle's Duffle Bag Boy, recently explained during a concert in Newark, New Jersey, that sipping syrup — a combination made up chiefly of promethazine and codeine, which is supposed to be prescribed by doctors for severe colds and pneumonia — is a part of the culture in the South. He also talked about how he gets flak for it. Wayne has said he's been hearing about how he needs to cut back on syrup more than ever in the wake of Pimp C's death in December. The UGK member's death was ruled accidental and due to a deadly combination of syrup— also known as "lean," "Texas tea" and "drank" — and his sleep-apnea condition. Weezy said he can't just quit cold turkey.

"I've been criticized for the things I chose and things I've chosen to do. Everybody wants me to stop all this and all that. It ain't that easy. Do your history, do your research. It ain't that easy — feels like death in your stomach when you stop doing that sh--. You gotta learn how to stop, you gotta go through detox. You gotta do all kinds of stuff. Like I said, I'm a selfish-ass n---a. I feel like everything I do is successful and productive. It's gonna be hard to tell me I'm slipping. It's hard to sit and tell a n---a 'Stop.' 'F---, how can we tell this n---a to stop when every f---ing thing he do is successful? This n---a is making progress. He just went and talked to kids and that sh-- was amazing.' Feel me? So what am I doing wrong? Let me do me. Everybody's got their thing. Why focus on me? Don't compare me to no one. Don't compare me to no one who has passed, and why they passed. I can walk out this bitch right now and get hit by a bus. Don't judge me. You wanna judge me, put on a black gown and get a gavel. Get in line with the rest of them that's about to judge me. I got court dates every other month. It's me against the world — that's how I feel."

SOURCE: MTV.com

Admittedly, the negative opinions about the controversy surrounding him has added fuel to his fire, both in and out of the studio. However, even the "Fireman" says he can explode after awhile. "It's inspiring me, but I'mma tell them now they better stop," he warned. "'Cause they [are trying to] push me off the edge. If I jump, I'm taking the world with me. That's my word."