Lil Wayne Responds to Being Overlooked for Super Bowl Halftime in New Orleans

Jay-Z’s Roc Nation selected Kendrick Lamar to perform at this year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans. But one prominent Big Easy entertainer isn’t all that enthusiastic about it. 

New Orleans-bred rapper Lil Wayne recently admitted that the announcement of Kendrick Lamar took him aback and that he’s disgruntled.

“That hurt, it hurt a lot,” he said in a video statement on Friday morning to Instagram. “I thought there was nothing better — that spot, on that stage, on that platform.”

“It broke me, but I’m just trying to put myself back together.”

Weezy F Baby has expressed his desire to perform at the show several times over the years. The event is scheduled to take place at New Orleans’ Caesars Stadium on February 9.

Lamar, a Los Angeles native, was announced as the headliner for the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which sparked an uproar on social media over his selection instead of Wayne. Nicki Minaj, a Wayne protégé, was among the first to voice her objection.

Although Lamar is arguably the greatest and most influential rapper in the world at the moment, Wayne’s legacy in music is humongous and began much earlier: He started his career back in the ‘90s as a teenage rapper with the Hot Boyz. While he relocated to Miami years ago, he is still synonymous with New Orleans.

Lamar’s recent rap feud with Drake, who was mentored by Wayne, has only boosted his fame. His diss track, Not Like Us, one of the biggest hits of the year, notably slams Drizzy.

Even more ironic, Super Bowl entertainment is overseen by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company, though the NFL and the city of New Orleans also played a role in the pick. Hova has been castigated by many people for his role in the decision, to the extent that rappers such as Fat Joe and Fabolous have spoken out in Lil Wayne’s defense.

“First of all, I wanna say forgive me for the delay,” Wayne says at the beginning of the clip. “I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking. I’ma say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all the love and support out there. Your words turned to arms and held me up when I tried to fall back.

“[Not being picked] hurt — it hurt a lot,” Wayne continues. “I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown. For just automatically mentally putting myself in that position like someone told me that was my position.”