Everyone is talking about Lil Wayne's latest Billboard cover story for two reasons. First, the article reveals that his album Tha Carter V (which was slated to release way back in 2014) will finally be dropped this fall. And second, which honestly overshadows the music news in our opinion, people are speculating about those pink glitter nails hovering in the cover's corner. We're all trying to figure out who those perfectly polished nails belong to: Does Lil Wayne get manicures? Did fellow Young Money rapper Nicki Minaj make a subtle guest appearance? Is this someone random? We need answers.
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Well, first things first, the nails aren't his. His longtime stylist Marisa Flores came forward on Instagram and revealed the hand belongs to her, and she also took the opportunity to give a shout-out to her nail artist for the manicure that she never thought would land a magazine cover. "Yes people that’s my hand," she wrote. "Thanks for the manicure @itzallaboutnails. I didn’t know my manicure was going to make the cover."
As surprised as Flores was to see her nails on the final cover, the photographer behind it, Ramona Rosales, says that the entire team had a laugh about the images while on set. "The shot was originally staged to frame his face with his hair, but the hand got us all laughing," she tells Refinery29. "Once I saw the photo with the nails, it felt right to have it with a pop of color, and they looked great. [It] made for a candid moment and a welcomed, yet unexpected, result."
Although the team chose the final shot knowing the manicure was prevalent, Rosales admits that all the focus on that one detail was far from expected. "I had no intentions of stirring the pot," she says, referring to the reactions on social media. "But it definitely has made it more fun for everyone."
Now, we have our answers about those mysterious nails, but we have to admit that we're kind of disappointed this manicure didn't belong to Lil Wayne. As one person tweeted: "Let me live and believe Lil Wayne got his nails did."
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