He really gives you the space and lets you become your own person,' says Drake.

Lil Wayne will be logging time in a New York jail cell in 2010, but the New Orleans rapper's flame will likely be carried on despite his absence, reports MTV.

That's because the Young Money top dog emboldens his troops, according to star protégé Drake.

The So Far Gone star said Wayne takes a hands-off approach when it comes to grooming his camp, a strategy that should pay off as the collective's We Are Young Money project picks up steam in the new year and releases from Drake and Nicki Minaj hit shelves.

"I think the best thing about Wayne is that he doesn't really get too involved in us developing as artists," Drake told MTV News recently in Toronto. "He doesn't give his input on how we should be, or how we should rap, or how we should dress. Wayne just gives us the opportunity. If you drop the ball, you drop the ball. But Wayne's gonna give you the setup. Wayne is gonna throw you the alley-oop you just have to cut to the hoop and slam."

Drake said Wayne has put him in a position to succeed by letting the Toronto lyricist discover himself as an artist, a feat that will undoubtedly take place for the rest of the YM roster while the boss is away.

"With that being said, he really gives you the space and lets you become your own person," Drake said. "He respects [artists that know] about themselves. He doesn't want to shape us all. I don't really know who wants to do that anymore. That was like, in '96 or something, when labels would be like, 'You got to be like this.' Wayne doesn't want to do that. Wayne wants us to thrive as the people we truly are, which is great."