Imagine spending thousands on a private jet, believing you’ve escaped the rules of commercial air travel, only to have police waiting for you on the tarmac. That’s exactly what happened to Lil Wayne during a recent flight, when a clash with his pilot spiraled out of control.

Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, recently recounted the ordeal on an episode of his Young Money Radio podcast on the theme of racism. While the rapper is no stranger to private jets, this time, things went sideways. According to Wayne, the trouble began when he approached the cockpit to speak with the pilot—who he described as “Caucasian.”

“The pilot tells me to get out of the aisle and go back to my seat,” Wayne said. “He must have thought he was flying United Airlines or something. He must have forgot that that was my plane.”

Wayne tried to remind the pilot of one key fact: this was his plane. He pays for it, the staff, and every inch of the luxurious cabin. But the pilot wasn’t having it. When the flight landed, police were waiting for Wayne. And honestly, it’s hard to imagine how such a dramatic response was warranted.

“Thank God the police didn’t forget what was going on,” Wayne quipped. “They let me go right home.”

Police on the tarmac: A pattern of tensions?

Wayne’s frustration is understandable. As he put it on the podcast, “You think money and success protect you from things like this, but they don’t.” He compared the incident to the viral “Central Park Karen” scenario, where a white woman weaponized police against a Black man.

Perhaps the pilot was on edge because Lil Wayne’s reputation precedes him. A 2020 incident in Miami revealed the rapper carried a gold-plated gun and several drugs aboard his jet, resulting in a federal weapons charge. Though Trump pardoned him, the high-profile case likely makes any pilot cautious.

But even the 2024 incident wasn’t the first time Lil Wayne has clashed with a pilot. Back in 2015, he was booted off a private jet after lighting a joint mid-flight. The pilot warned him against smoking before takeoff, but Wayne and his entourage ignored the rule.

Lil Wayne has even been accused of getting violent on a flight: In 2022, his former assistant Andrew Williams filed a lawsuit claiming the rapper punched him during an altercation on a private jet. The suit alleges Wayne, during an argument with the pilot, turned on Williams when he tried to intervene.

Two sides to every story

Pilots are no strangers to high-profile passengers with big personalities. In another recent private jet debacle, rapper Young Thug was kicked off a chartered plane after a passenger in his entourage allegedly disrespected a stewardess. Young Thug called the situation racist, livestreamed the incident, and even apologized multiple times to the crew. The pilot refused to budge, and police on the scene admitted there was little they could do.

So was this racism? Or was the pilot reacting to Wayne’s history? In the end, there are two sides to every story. As much as Wayne feels wronged, pilots are professionals trained to handle high-stakes situations. It’s possible the pilot saw something we didn’t, or that past incidents weighed into their decision.

Even with the money and fame to charter your own jet, a pilot still calls the shots. For Lil Wayne, this was a stark reminder of the power dynamic that doesn’t disappear at 30,000 feet.