Lil Wayne's fued with Birdman was reportedly a case of a little bird flying on its own. Mannie Fresh, the former mentor to Weezy, dished his take on the Young Money-Cash Money beef.

In an interview with Associated Press, Mannie Fresh said that Lil Wayne is "growing as an artist."

"Wayne has given us some great albums, but he has never given us that album with like a Justin Timberlake on it - with features where like, OK, this is what we expect from an artist of your caliber," he said. "Like you went out and got Cher on the song, because you are that dude. You're on that level."

Manni Fresh said the feud with Birdman could be Lil Wayne feeling a little restricted in expressing his creativity. The label might have limited him to collaborating with Drake and Nicki Minaj, or any other artist under the Cash Money stable.

"I think he's going - real talk - 'I could probably use Drake and Nicki, but I've done that so many times. Let's get out there and do things so I can show that I am bigger than life," the producer said, who referenced Jay Z who managed to bring in more star power in his songs.

"He's going to get somebody with star power that can bring other people to the table," Mannie Fresh said. "If I did do a song and I got Justin Timberlake on it, I got Justin Timberlake fans as well. I think Wayne is starting to see it in that way. Hip hop can only bring you so far."

Music Times noted that Mannie Fresh's take on Lil Wayne's feud with Birdman should be taken seriously.

"Mannie Fresh was somewhat of a mentor to Lil Wayne," it said. "He helped Weezy in the studio early on and his influence on the Cash Money Records brand is undeniable. That relationship puts Fresh in a unique position to be able to talk about Wayne's recent beef with the label with some authority."