Birdman explains why he kissed Lil Wayne on the mouth in infamous viral photo

Rapper and business mogul Birdman finally put the rumors to rest about kissing fellow rapper Lil Wayne on the lips in an infamous photo from more than two decades ago.

A segment from REVOLT TV's Big Facts podcast interview with the Cash Money Records CEO went viral after the host asked why he did it.

"First of all, my own son, I would kiss him," Birdman responded. "I always looked at Wayne as my son and I always looked at it like, ’cause I was in the streets, and I thought this might be the last time he ever see me.”

“I was his father when he didn’t have a father since he was 9 years old. And I love him like my own and I’d give my life for him.”

A photo of the two kissing was captured in 2006 and a slew of rumors followed the pair as Lil Wayne shot to stardom.

Birdman previously had the same explanation in 2009 in an interview with Tim Westwood.

"That’s my son. If he was right here, I’d kiss him again," he said. "I just think people took that too far, man. That’s my son. I’ll do it again tomorrow, I’ll kill for him. Ride and die for him.”

Their relationship took a big hit in 2015 when Lil Wayne sued Cash Money for $51 million after Wayne's highly anticipated fifth album, "Tha Carter V," was delayed twice.

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The same year Lil Wayne told Rolling Stone he and Birdman were no longer on speaking terms.

Billboard reported the lawsuit was later settled in 2018 for an undisclosed amount and Birdman apologized publicly to the rapper during the annual Lil Weezyana Fest.

"I knew this day was going to come, but I didn't know when it was going to come," Birdman told the New Orleans crowd, according to Billboard. "I'm sorry."

Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Birdman explains why he kissed Lil Wayne on the lips during podcast