Lil Wayne has broken his silence, admitting he’s “hurt” to miss next year’s Super Bowl halftime show in his hometown of New Orleans.
The NFL’s decision to book Kendrick Lamar instead of NOLA’s own Weezy to perform at Super Bowl LIX on February 9 drew the ire of his peers and fans, and the Young Money leader finally made it clear in the early hours of Friday morning (September 13). This issue was addressed in a video posted on Instagram.
Wayne began with a serious tone, thanking those who came to his defense, saying, “First of all, I want to say please forgive me for stalling. I have to be strong enough to do this without breaking. I’m going to say Thank you for every voice, every opinion, all the care, love, and support, and your words became arms that held me up when I tried to step back.
He then shared his heartbreak and disappointment over the snub, blaming himself for holding out hope for the gig he had publicly longed for before last week’s announcement.
“That hurt. It hurt. You know what I’m saying. It hurt,” he continued. “I blame myself for not being prepared for disappointment and automatically putting myself in that position, like someone told me that was my position. So I blame myself for that.
“But I don’t think there’s anything better than that place, that stage, that platform in my city, so it hurts. It hurts. But you guys are so awesome. It makes me feel bad not getting that opportunity, when I When I feel bad, you guys remind me that I wouldn’t feel bad without you…and that’s an amazing reality.
Wayne concluded: “So, like I said, this is crushing me and I’m just trying to get myself back together. But oh my God, did y’all help me? Thanks to all my peers, my friends , my family, my friends on Sports TV and everyone who represents me, I really appreciate it.
“I feel like I’m letting all of you down by not getting the opportunity, but I’m working on it, I’m working on it. So thank you.
Birdman, Juvenile, Master P and Boosie Badazz, among others, expressed displeasure with Lil Wayne not being chosen to headline the 2025 Super Bowl halftime headliner.
However, few have been as outspoken as Young Money devotee Nicki Minaj, who slammed the decision in an explosive statement on social media.
Nicki appeared to take out her anger on JAY-Z, who has been helping organize the halftime show with Roc Nation since 2020, accusing JAY-Z of denying Wayne a golden opportunity due to a personal vendetta.
“Just because of your ego, you deprived a young black man of his due input into this game. Your hatred for BIRDMAN, Drake and Nicki led you to punish Lil Wayne? Lil Wayne!! GOAT? She’s in X (formerly Twitter) wrote.
“What’s so good about Nola?!!!!!! Eminem is adamant about 50Cent being released. A white guy. So fucking sad. House of N-GGER TINGZ. But these are good friends!! No loyalty? Weir P. Then n-ggaz will continue to harass you!
Nikki seemed to throw more insults at Hough, adding: “Have everything in the world. Still full of malice and evil. Disgusting. Abeg be happy. Fuck be happy n!gg@!! !!!!!!! In the rap world. In the female business, you’re good when you have politicians and cops. And that ugly, laughing taffy alien.
Nicki’s sentiments were echoed by Cam’ron, who also suggested his former Roc-A-Fella Records boss was to blame for Wayne’s neglect.
“It’s one man who stopped this. It’s not a secret. Lil Wayne has had issues with the people who run this organization before,” he told the sports talk show “It Is What It Is,” mentioning Coming to the past rivalry between Djiga and Tunech.
“That’s the payoff. Who’s Lil Wayne’s artist? Drake. This is crazy, man. This is ridiculous.
He added: “It’s shocking that Lil Wayne is not in New Orleans for the Super Bowl and it has to stop.”
Neither JAY-Z nor Kendrick Lamar have yet responded to the backlash, though the Compton rapper did release a combative new song earlier this week slamming the music industry, Some interpreted it as a response to the riots.
