lil wayne
HipHopWired Featured Video
Lil Wayne has expressed his frustrations over not performing during the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2025 and doubled down on the assertion that he was snubbed. During his annual Lil Weezyana Fest, Lil Wayne addressed the Super Bowl snub and said it was taken away from him.
Over the weekend, Lil Wayne was back in his native New Orleans for this year’s Lil Weezyana Fest and was alongside the entire Hot Boys collective for a reunion performance. Wayne was also honored by New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell with a proclamation declaring February 6 and 7 Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Carter Day. Tunechi was also honored with a key to the city.
During the festival, Wayne spoke on the elephant inside the room regarding Kendrick Lamar getting the halftime performance nod in New Orleans ahead of one of its biggest musical acts. He began his story by mentioning how he attended the Super Bowl in 2009 in Miami with his family and how the moment inspired him.
“That moment I said to myself, I wanna be on stage for the Super Bowl one day in front of my mom and I worked my a** off to get that position,” Wayne said. “It was ripped away from me but this motherf*ckin’ moment right here, they can’t take that from me.”
Lil Wayne addressed the snub back in September by way of a video he posted on social media, stating that being passed over for the slot “hurt” him.
Lil Wayne talks about not getting picked to perform the Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans. He says it felt like it was “ripped away” from him but no one can take away this night.
I’m so glad he got to feel the love from his city. pic.twitter.com/c0fkgkD8f2
— Farrah Yvette (@farrah_yvette) November 3, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty
The festival organized by Lil Wayne is getting a new platform for creators with Live Nation Urban in time for this year’s edition, entitled “LilWeezyCon”.
In a press release, Live Nation Urban announced that they’ve agreed to a partnership to provide a new space for creators and innovators working with the community at the annual Lil’ WeezyAna Fest organized by Lil Wayen, known as LilWeezyCon. The partnership is with the Cultural Creators Foundation, and the event will take place during the concert event weekend in Lil Wayne’s hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.
LilWeezyCon will be an all-day event this coming Saturday (November 2) at the Fillmore New Orleans from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. The schedule includes an array of panel discussions, networking sessions, and workshops crafted to spark inspiration in attendees. Attendance at LilWeezyCon is free, with college students getting VIP access. Volunteers from LSU, Xavier University, and other local schools such as Dillard University will assist in putting on the events. Guest speakers include Head of Music Industry Cultural Collaborations at Amazon Music Phylicia Fant, Head of HipHop/R&B Rotation at Amazon Music Sierra Lever, Terriona “Tank” Bell of Tank & Tha Bangas, and other notable industry figures and artists.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Live Nation Urban to create Lil’ WeezyCon, where we can bring together the brightest minds and most influential voices from across the industry to inspire and uplift future generations,” said Joi Brown, Founder and CEO of Culture Creators Foundation in the press release. “This is an incredible opportunity for our community to connect, share knowledge, and build meaningful relationships while celebrating the culture that drives us all.”
“We knew we wanted to do something special with this year’s festival, and tapping the Culture Creators Foundation to help us create Lil’ WeezyCon felt like the perfect way to engage the community and bring college students into the mix,” said Brandon Pankey, Vice President of Live Nation Urban in the release. “This partnership allows us to expand beyond music and create an experience that leaves a lasting impact on young professionals and emerging creators.” For more information, visit www.lilweezyanafest.com.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Lil Wayne saw his name crop up in the news this week after it was announced that Kendrick Lamar would be the featured performer for next year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. With the likes of Jay Electronica, Birdman, Nicki Minaj, and more speaking on Lil Wayne’s behalf, Tunechi took to Instagram to express his emotions surrounding the news and the snub.
With Super Bowl LIX taking place in February 2025 in New Orleans, La., it was expected at least by some observers that Weezy F. Baby would be considered to rock in front of his hometown crowd for the big game. Kendrick Lamar announced his appearance in his unique way, which sparked a flurry of comments from supporters of Lil Wayne along with his detractors coming out of the woodwork to discredit his musical legacy.
Opening up in his video on Instagram, Wayne got straight to the point.
“First of all, I wanna say forgive me for the delay. I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking. I’m 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.”
Wayne said of the assumed snub that, “It hurt a lot. 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.”
In what would’ve been a dream come true for Lil Wayne, it appears that being passed over for the Halftime Show in favor of Kendrick Lamar left a sting.
Check out the clip below.
—
Photo: Bennett Raglin / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Neilson Barnard / Getty
In the 48 hours following the announcement that Kendrick Lamar would be headlining the Super Bowl Halftime show in New Orleans next February, Jay-Z’s Hip-Hop peers continue to pile on the criticism as many feel that Lil Wayne should’ve gotten the nod over Kung Fu Kenny.
After the likes of Lil Wayne’s studio engineer and Master P spoke on the subject, Nicki Minaj and Birdman have taken to social media to take shots at Jay-Z for overlooking Nawlins native, Weezy for the Super Bowl festivities. Taking to Twitter to express her outrage over the choice, Nicki blasted Hov with a pointed tweet saying the decision to have Kendrick Lamar over Lil Wayne was driven by Jay-Z’s “ego” and that he was simply punishing Lil Wayne over his hatred for Birdman, Drake and even herself.
We didn’t even know Jay hated them.
Still, Nicki continued to ride for Wayne while taking shots at Jay for being “spiteful” and apparently even some of Roc Nation’s employees.
Birdman meanwhile weighed in on the situation himself but refrained from going all out as Nicki Minaj did in her posts.
Keep in mind Jay-Z paid off Lil Wayne’s multi-million dollar tax lien more than a decade ago when Wayne and Birdman were on the outs. So there’s that.
While many assume the decision to have Kendrick Lamar perform at the Super Bowl was strictly on Jay-Z, apparently the host city gets to pick who they want to perform the Super Bowl Halftime show after they’re presented with a list of names. In other words, Jay-Z didn’t choose Kendrick Lamar, New Orleans did. allegedly. Whether Wayne was on that short list or not is anyone’s guess, but it seems like everyone is hating on Jay-Z for a decision where he probably didn’t have the final say.
That being said, we doubt that the city of New Orleans is going to interject and reveal that it was they, and not Jay-Z who chose Kendrick Lamar and not Lil Wayne. Not after they’ve seen the backlash that Jay-Z got anyway.
What do y’all think about the outrage over Lil Wayne’s snub for the Super Bowl Halftime show in New Orleans? Let us know in the comments section below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Gregory Shamus / Getty
On Sunday (September 8), social media was buzzing when it was revealed that Kendrick Lamar had been tapped to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans as many assumed the honor would go to Nawlin’s favorite son, Lil Wayne.
But with Jay-Z running the show and tapping Kung Fu Kenny to kick things off come February 9th, Lil Wayne’s mixing engineer Fabian Marasciullo took to social media to express his disappointment in the surprising choice. According to HipHopDX, Marasciullo took to his Instagram stories and bluntly stated that he felt “Confused. Disappointed. Angry. But most of all. Inspired.”
Continuing to build on his feelings, Weezy’s engineer added “Will never again be in the position or have the [GOAT] where we are at the mercy of someone else’s decision. We will make the decisions.”
After Kendrick Lamar was revealed to be the headliner for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, many fans felt he’d undoubtedly bring Wayne along with him to perform on stage, but with the way Marasciullo is describing the mood on that side, would Wayne even accept an invitation to the show if he’s not headlining it?
Per HipHopDX:
During an interview with Taylor Rooks for Bleacher Report last December, Weezy talked about his desire to perform at Super Bowl LIX, which is being held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, 2025.
“Just as bad as I wanted to see my name at the top of that list when I was whatever age it was and I would bust into the office and get that Billboard magazine,” he said about wanting to perform.
“Just as an artist, you know, ’cause this has nothing to do with the sport. As an artist, this is an achievement. This has nothing to do with the sport — that’s so crazy. I don’t care what teams are playing, what city it’s in. ‘You performed for the what?!’ Like, what? Oh man, so that right there is an achievement.”
We’re not gonna lie, we lowkey feel bad that Jay passed on Wayne in favor of Kendrick Lamar. Yes, we know K. Dot had a monster year thanks to his back-and-forth with Drake, but Weezy is a Hip-Hop legend from New Orleans with an illustrious catalog. Seemed like a no brainer to us.
Even New Orleans triple OG, Master P took to social media to say Wayne should be added to the Halftime show writing “He’s one of the greatest Hop Hop artists alive, still relevant and he’s a New Orleans native. Let’s not miss this cultural moment in the South.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/C_qySizy0XE/?img_index=2
What do y’all think? Should Lil Wayne have been the first choice to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show? Should he accept an invite to perform alongside Kendrick Lamar? Let us know in the comments section below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Live Nation Urban / Live Nation
Source: Erika Goldring / Getty
Lil’ Weezyana Fest is back, and the 2024 edition is going to be extra special. On Tuesday (Sept. 3), Lil Wayne and Live Nation Urban announced the return of the New Orleans music festival and that special guests will include a Hot Boys reunion.
Lil’ Weezyana Fest will go down on November 2 in the Big Easy at the Smoothie King Center, and the Hot Boys on the bill feature Weezy, Juvenile, B.G. and Turk. Also already on the schedule are Rob49 and Mannie Fresh with additional artists to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Earlier this summer there was a Hot Boys reunion at Essence Fest, but Wayne was conspicuously absent. With the entire four man crew on board for November, this should be a moment.
“Lil Wayne embodies the spirit of New Orleans, and Lil’ WeezyAna Fest is a stellar showcase of the city’s dynamic and flourishing music scene,” said Brandon Pankey, VP of Business Development & Operations Live Nation Urban in a statement. “Live Nation Urban celebrates this amazing event and is proud to continue to partner and cultivate the growth of this festival for years to come.”
Produced by Young Money, DMANI and Live Nation Urban, Lil’ Weezyana Fest first launched in 2105, and has since brought top-tier Hip-Hop talent to Weezy’s hometown to celebrate its rich music history and give to back to the community.
Tickets are available via artist presale are already available while tickets will go on sale everywhere starting September 6 at 8AM PT/10AM CT. You can find more right HERE.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty
Lil Wayne’s penmanship is worth more than he probably ever imagined. His old rhyme book is going to be auctioned for $5 million dollars after a long legal battle.
As reported on Digital Music News, the New Orleans, Louisiana, native will see some of his earliest work go to the highest bidder. This week, memorabilia site Moments In Time announced that they will be moving forward with the selling of a notebook he used during the 1990s as a member of the Hot Boys. In it are lyrics he penned for several of the group’s classic songs including, “Grown Man” and “We On Fire.” Additionally, the company states that it also includes drawings of what appears to be Mannie Fresh, but this has yet to confirmed.
According to TMZ, the notebook was in a car owned by someone associated with Cash Money Records. Legend has it when the dealership took back the car an employee emptied the vehicle out and held onto the book. The man stored the collectible in his garage, but then Hurricane Katrina hit the city in 2005 causing severe water damage to the item. This is not the first time the memorabilia site has tried to sell off the notebook. Back in 2019, the personal item went on the block for $250,000, but Lil Wayne filed a cease and desist stopping Moments In Time from selling it. Almost five years later, a judge has granted the company the right to proceed with the sale.
You can read more about the Lil Wayne book of rhymes auction here.
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Drake and Lil Wayne have been in the musical spotlight for years and have dozens of songs that few people could commit to memory with perfection. So it was baffling to see fans overreact to the revelation that Drake and Lil Wayne employed a teleprompter during a recent concert.
Drake and Lil Wayne joined together onstage during a weekend stop in Sunrise, Fla. for the Canadian superstar’s It’s All A Blur tour. The pair performed the track “Right Above It,” which was a single on Tunechi’s 2010 album, I Am Not A Human Being. It was also the theme song for the HBO sports drama Ballers featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Fans who either attended the show or saw footage noticed that a teleprompter was used to help the two keep pace with the song, and it doesn’t appear that Drizzy or Weezy skipped a beat during their set. That said, a passionate debate was sparked with many wondering if the use of teleprompters during a Hip-Hop concert was a new thing.
Of course, when you’re trying to deliver a perfect set for paying fans, you want to stick the landing and why wouldn’t an artist use every technical advantage to make sure attendees are getting their money’s worth? R&B singers do this all the time and given the bodies of work both of these major artists have produced, they’re certainly not going to remember a song they recorded more than 14 years ago.
We’ve got the reactions from fans on X, formerly Twitter, debating the finer points of using a teleprompter for some odd reason. It’s all pretty silly if you ask us but hey.
—
Photo: Getty
1. Mans deleted the tweet but he was flabbergasted.
2. A person with some sense.
6. Faceless avis always with the bad takes.
8. People are delusional.
9. Mans whole brand is being salty.
10. Again, another person with sense.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Taylor Hill / Getty
The lineup for The Roots Picnic’s 2024 edition is star-studded with feature performances by Lil Wayne, Nas, and more.
On Monday (February 19), The Roots and Live Nation Urban announced the full lineup for this year’s installment of their Roots Picnic festival in their hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and it’s proving to be a blockbuster affair. Taking place on the weekend of June 1 & June 2, the lineup of artists spans generations of the listening public, kicking off with multiple Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne doing a headline set with The Roots featuring his greatest hits. Joining him on that set as special guests will be fellow New Orleans greats Trombone Shorty and PJ Morton.
Other artists appearing at The Roots Picnic this year will include Nas and Jill Scott as co-headliners. André 3000, fresh off of touring for his critically acclaimed instrumental album New Blue Sun, will perform the album live at the festival. In addition, recent Grammy Award-winner Victoria Monét will appear for the first time at The Roots Picnic. The rest of the lineup will feature the beloved J-Period Live Mixtape set starring Black Thought, Redman, and Method Man, a Backyard Go-Go Experience set with Hip-Hop legend Scarface and Amerie, Gunna, Sexyy Red, Tyla, Smino, Babyface, Robert Glasper with Yebba, Wale and more.
The 2024 Roots Picnic will be hosted at The Mann in Fairmount Park, and it will also bring back the Parkside Stage (formerly known as the Podcast Stage) where immersive experiences and live podcasts including Million Dollaz Worth of Game, the Juan Epstein Podcast, and World Series of Spades will take place in addition to others soon to be announced. There will also be a vendor village for attendees to partake in, in addition to a food court featuring restaurants that have been specially curated by The Roots for the festival.
Those who’ve attended The Roots Picnic in the past will have their chance to snag tickets on Tuesday (February 20) at 10 AM EST at a special presale. Tickets for the general public, including weekend tickets and VIP passes will be available on the festival’s website beginning on Friday (February 23).
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: @new_bghollyhood / Instagram
Things still seem to be very spicy between the Hot Boys. B.G. says he and Lil Wayne spoke after dissing his band mate.
Last week he released a song with Finesse2tymes titled “Gangstafied” where he took some very pointed shots at Tune. “My n***a Weezy steady touring, but he’s b***h and it’s showing / I’m still a living legend, don’t act like you didn’t know it” he rapped. XXL Magazine is reporting that the newly free MC has spoken to Wayne as per a video he shared to social media on Sunday, January 7.
“I talked to my little brother last night. Shout out to shorty. Still my little bro. I love my little bro. Sh*t be complicated sometimes. But, you know, Gizzle gon’ do what Gizzle does” he said. “I’ll tell a n***a I love him and call him a b***h all in the same sentence,” B.G. added. “So, if you ain’t like…you know…this family business. Shout out to my little brother Weezy, too.” Now that the Hot Boys all free men (Turk was released from prison in 2012 after serving almost nine years in prison) it is clear to the public that team has some issues to hash out before a formal reunion can happen.
In September of last year Birdman announced he is working towards a Cash Money Records reunion tour. But when asked why he did not roll out the same red carpet for Turk as he did for B.G. he made it clear that the two aren’t always on the same page. “Honestly me and Turk ain’t have a relationship before he went to jail” he said in an interview with Live Bitez.
You can see B.G. discuss his conversation with Lil Wayne below.