Super Bowl
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Lil Wayne went public to voice his frustration and disappointment in not getting named as the halftime show performer for the upcoming Super Bowl in his hometown of New Orleans. Sitting with longtime friend Skip Bayless, Lil Wayne discusses the Super Bowl snub, Kendrick Lamar, and more.
Lil Wayne joined Bayless on the host’s eponymously named YouTube program to discuss the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII featuring Kendrick Lamar and expressed his thoughts once more at being passed over for the opportunity. Bayless, who shared his disappointment in the Young Money honcho not getting the look, opened the lane by asking Wayne his thoughts on the matter.
“So generally, I just believe that, for whatever reason, it’s over my head,” Lil Wayne begins, sharing why the NFL passed him over for the show. “Meaning, I don’t know why. Obviously, I believe it’s perfect but I do not know why.
Wayne continues, “Personally, the person I am, I straight look at it like ‘you ain’t there yet, you gotta get there.’”
Bayless doubled down on his disappointment, mentioning that Wayne should get the look to rock in front of the New Orleans crowd as a native son and mentioned there could be other politics and happenings at play.
Later in the conversation, Bayless shared K-Dot’s bars about Wayne in the track “wacced out murals” from the Compton rapper’s GNX album and asked Tunechi to react after he said this was his first time hearing the lyrics.
“I think he meant, I think he saw what everybody else saw, how much it meant to me,” Wayne answers. “He can’t control that. I’ve spoken to him and I wished him all the best.”
Check out the clip of Lil Wayne chatting with Skip Bayless below.
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Get ready to toss your beads. On Feb. 8, Diplo and Dom Dolla will co-headline Sports Illustrated‘s annual Super Bowl weekend event, SI The Party, in New Orleans.
The event will go down at Mardi Gras World, a 300,000-square foot facility and local institution where some of the floats for the city’s annual Mardi Gras parades have been made for the last 80 years.
In addition to the music, the event will feature activations from brand partners. Premium and VIP tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 20, with pre-registration open now. VIP passes start at $499.99 and include access to the performances, a five-hour open bar and more.
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SI The Party has become a Super Bowl weekend tradition, with artists including Kygo, The Chainsmokers and Jack Harlow headlining the show in years, and Super Bowl-hosting cities, past. The party typically draws a crowd of sports stars and other heavy hitters, with past attendees including Alex Rodriguez, Shaquille O’Neal, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Miles Teller, Machine Gun Kelly, Kevin Hart, Leonardo Di Caprio and more.
“From the very beginning, our goal has been to create the best experiences at the world’s biggest sports stages,” EVP of entertainment and special projects at Authentic Brands Group, Sports Illustrated’s parent company, said in a statement. “We’ve built SI The Party into a must-attend event, where sports and culture converge in a celebration that is second to none.
“With New Orleans as our backdrop and our unparalleled lineup of talent,” he continues, “this will be the most exciting SI The Party yet.”
The 2025 Super Bowl happens Feb. 9 at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome. Competing teams will be determined during the NFL Playoffs, which begin Jan. 11.
See the flyer for SI The Party below:
Sports Illustrated The Party 2025 flyer
Courtesy Medium Rare for SI The Party
Days before Super Bowl LIX, which will take over New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Feb. 9, Bud Light will start the weekend right with an intimate show from a massive star. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Friday, Feb. 7, Post Malone will perform at […]
The NFL announced during its Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28) broadcast on FOX that Jon Batiste is set to sing the national anthem prior to Super Bowl 2025 kick-off in New Orleans on Feb. 9. In addition to the five-time Grammy-winning artist’s “Star-Spangled Banner” performance, the NFL tapped Louisiana natives Trombone Shorty, Lauren Daigle and Ledisi […]
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Once again, Kendrick Lamar has the Rap world talking. Lil Wayne has seemingly responded to him after being mentioned on GNX.
As spotted on Vulture, the Compton, Calif., rapper made waves last week with the release of his newest project. In it, he makes several references to many of his peers post “Not Like Us.” On “wacced out murals” he raps, “Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud / Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down / Whatever, though, call me crazy, everybody questionable / Turn me to an eskimo, I drew the line and decimals.” These lines are a direct reference to him securing the halftime performance for Super Bowl LIX. The 2025 edition is set to be hosted in New Orleans, and Lil Wayne publicly expressed his disappointment on not being able to perform in his hometown after the announcement.
Man wtf I do?!
I just be chillin & dey still kome 4 my head. Let’s not take kindness for weakness. Let this giant sleep. I beg u all. No one really wants destruction,not even me but I shall destroy if disturbed. On me. Love
— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) November 23, 2024
On Saturday (Nov. 23), Tunechi took to X, formerly Twitter, and apparently made reference to the song. “Man wtf I do?! I just be chillin & [they] still [come] 4 my head. Let’s not take kindness for weakness. Let this giant sleep. I beg u all. No one really wants destruction, not even me but I shall destroy if disturbed. On me. Love,” he wrote. This is not the first time Kendrick Lamar referenced Lil Wayne in his music. Back in 2010, he rapped over Kanye West’s “Monster” instrumental and said “I’m the best rapper alive, tell Wayne to swallow his pride.”
During the height of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, Lil Wayne remained neutral and unbothered. Weeks later, he was was spotted rapping the hook to “Not Like Us” prior to performing his verse to “The Motto.”
Lil Wayne rapping “Not Like Us” while performing “The Motto” in Vegas last night.
pic.twitter.com/4f5pjVvMNZ
— Rap Alert (@rapalert6) July 14, 2024
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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
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Rihanna is staying loyal to Kendrick Lamar and hyping him up before he headlines the Super Bowl halftime show next year. Entertainment Tonight‘s Kevin Frazier asked the Fenty mogul in an interview published Thursday (Oct. 24) her thoughts about the “Not Like Us” hitmaker taking over the stage during the big game. “It’s a diamond […]
Lil Wayne being overlooked for the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show for Kendrick Lamar became a lightning rod for conversation within hip-hop circles. Wayne himself admitted he was “hurt” by the NFL’s decision to not have him perform in his hometown and others such as Nicki Minaj, Master P, Cam’ron and more chimed in sticking up for the New Orleans rap deity.
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LL Cool J sat down with Fat Joe for an episode of Fat Joe Talks on Friday (Oct. 18), and among the multitude of topics discussed was Weezy being snubbed for the Super Bowl’s headlining spot for K. Dot.
The “Loungin” rapper gave Wayne his flowers, but is cool with Kendrick having his moment right now, with the numbers he put on the board this year. LL believes Wayne will eventually get his shot as well.
“[Lil Wayne’s] one of our great artists, he’s an unbelievable writer. He’ll have his day — let Kendrick get that,” he said. “Here’s the thing: Your time will come [and] you’ll have your day … You’ll have your time. You can’t let break you. The only reason it makes me laugh is because I know how blessed he is, how successful he is. So he don’t need to worry about that moment. It’s just a moment, bro. It’s just one moment.”
LL Cool J brought up how he wasn’t voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for many years on the docket before breaking through in 2021. With all of the success he and other artists of his ilk have enjoyed, he referred to these kind of roadblocks as “champagne problems.”
“These are champagne problems. There’s guys who can’t get their demo listened to. I think we get a little bit kind of, unintentionally, spoiled,” he admitted. “Wayne is crème de la crème.”
Kendrick was announced by the NFL and Roc Nation as the headliner for Super Bowl LIX in September, and a devastated Wayne took a few days to gather himself before speaking out.
“That hurt. It hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about. It hurt a whole lot,” he said in a video posted to Instagram. “I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown. … But I thought that was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt.”
Watch LL talk about Kendrick headlining the Super Bowl instead of Lil Wayne in the clip below.
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It looks like the culture will continue to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The NFL have announced they have extended their deal with Roc Nation to curate the festivities.
As spotted on Yahoo! Entertainment, the National Football League will continue their partnership with Jay-Z to curate their biggest event of the year. As exclusively reported by Bloomberg News, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell disclosed the deal saying the partnership is “mutually positive” while attending the annual owners meeting in Atlanta. “I’m not sure either one of us really spend much time talking about contracts. Jay is happy” he said. “Desiree Perez is happy. I’m happy, so we’re all good.”
Back in 2019, the NFL signed the original deal with Roc Nation to curate the Halftime Show festivities. According to ESPN, the original contract was for about $25 million over a five-year term. In addition to choosing the talent, Roc Nation also assisted in the league’s commitment to social justice via their Inspire Change program. Since then, the Super Bowl has featured some of the culture’s biggest and brightest stars. In 2022, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige and Eminem took the stage. Rihanna headlined the show in 2023, and Usher took the baton earlier this year.
Kendrick Lamar has been chosen as the headliner for Super Bowl LIX. It is set to take place on Feb. 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
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The Drake and Kendrick Lamar storyline refuses to die down. Champagne Papi’s camp has denied trying to block K Dot from performing “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl.
Last week, music executive Wack 100 made a wild claim that Drake was attempting to limit what songs the Compton, California, rapper could perform during his halftime set. “He’s trying to get the NFL to restrict Kendrick,” Wack explained. When pressed further on whether he thinks the request would be honored by the league he replied, “No, if Jay-Z got something to do with it, it ain’t.” As with most of his claims Wack’s statement soon went viral. Page Six has now exclusively reported that Drake’s camp has refuted the rumor with one of his representatives simply saying it’s “not true.” Another unnamed source tells the celebrity gossip site “There was never any intention or plan to send a cease and desist to anyone.”
Last month, the National Football League revealed Kendrick Lamar as the Super Bowl LIX halftime show performer. Given the game is taking place in New Orleans the announcement was met with a lot criticism, with many crying foul that Lil Wayne should have been given that slot. Since then, show producer Jesse Collins confirmed that Jay-Z chooses the headliner, which further added to the speculation that there was a conspiracy against Weezy. Days later, Lil Wayne revealed that he was hurt by the snub but was humbled by all the support he received from his fans and peers.
Super Bowl LIX takes place on Feb., 9 2025 at Caesars Superdome. You hear Wack 100 discuss Drake and the Super Bowl below.