People are close Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and Birdman have all made it clear they’re unhappy about not being called Super Bowl LIX for the halftime show. Nicki Minaj and Birdman took to X today to air their grievances over the NFL’s (and presumably Jay-Z’s) decision to cast Kendrick Lamar for the February show. While they didn’t explicitly name Jay-Z, who has had a hand in producing the Super Bowl halftime shows since 2019, it seems pretty clear what they’re talking about.
Nicki Minaj posted on her personal account lamenting her fate, “You denying a young black man what he has rightfully done in this game for one reason only and that is your ego. Your hatred for BIRDMAN, Drake and Nicki made you punish Lil Wayne???!!! LIL WAYNE!!!!!!!!!! THE GOAT??!!!!!! Nola what is good??!!!!! Eminem is a firm on the 50Cent out.” She also posted, “One nigga took a knee while the other nigga took the bag. You niggas will put you in line every time.”
Her recent post referred to the widespread belief that Jay-Z's 2019 partnership with the NFL was in response to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's expulsion from the NFL after kneeling during the national anthem before a game.
Nicki's series of posts included her noting, “I love watching the entire industry play dumb over and over again. Lol. The truth is the truth no matter who says it. Pick and choose who you accept the truth from and then bam! Pow! He may tell you a joke but he won't tell you a lie. Bwahahahaha.” She also posted, “Y'all know his next move will be to tell you that 'a certain person' is being treated so unfairly so you can go back to that coma,” likely in reference to Beyoncé's song cowboy carter Her latest album will not be nominated for any of the 2024 Country Music Awards. Jay-Z spoke out on Beyoncé's behalf during a memorable speech at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
God forbid if Wayne was to leave this earth right now, the culture would be in mourning. That’s why so many ppl keep saying to give our legends their flowers while they are still around to smell them. Sitting around all day playing games with ppl life & legacy. God ain’t sleep.…
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 9, 2024
In another post, Nicki noted, “You got everything in the world. Still spiteful and evil. Disgusting. Be happy daddy. Be happy soooo nigga!!!! In the rap business. In the women business. When you got politicians and cops you're good though.” When another X account told her to “sit back” from defending Wayne, she posted, “Oh you think speaking up about injustice in your workplace should only be done if someone will do it for you? I'm a real nigga. Wow.”
Her posts come alongside Birdman’s Monday afternoon statements. A day after the NFL made its official announcement, Birdman posted “Smfh,” then “These niggas Pussi @NICKIMINAJ @Drake @LilTunechi YMCMB. Gonna make these niggas respect us on Gladys 🐐.” He then followed that up with “Hatin shit 4real.” These are his first posts on X in five months; it’s no coincidence that they came the day after he passed over his old protégé.
Nicki and Birdman join Master P, Cameron and Mays as artists who believe Wayne should have been the headliner at the February concert in New Orleans. Earlier today, Master P wrote an open letter on his Instagram account that read: “#LilWayne should be a part of this celebration too. He is one of the greatest living hip-hop artists, still relevant, and a native of New Orleans. Let’s not miss this cultural moment in the South.”
And this morning, rapper Cameron talked about the choice in his web series. It is what it is.“There’s no reason why Lil Wayne can’t perform at the Super Bowl,” he added. “It’s not really a secret. Lil Wayne had a problem with someone before and he’s part of the organization that runs it. This is revenge.” He concluded: “Who is Lil Wayne’s artist? Drake… Lil Wayne not performing in New Orleans at the Super Bowl is terrible and needs to stop.”
Lil Wayne and Jay-Z's relationship was something of a frenemy in the late 2000s, as Wayne's rise as a rap star coincided with Jay-Z's transformation into a music industry executive.
In December 2006, after Jay-Z's song The Kingdom is Coming “I'm better than that,” Wayne told Complex magazine. [Jay-Z]“I’m 24 years old… I’ve been through 13 years, released five albums, sold 10 million records. I don’t like what he’s saying about him having to come back because hip-hop is dead and we need him. What the hell do you mean? If anything, he’s been reborn, so he probably has a problem with that. I left on a good note, and all the artists were like, ‘Dude, this is Jay’s house. He’s the best.’ Now he’s back and he still thinks this is his house… It’s not your house anymore, and I’m better than you.”
They traded numerous recorded blows over the years. But whatever their competitive differences were, it seemed like a thing of the past by 2018, when Wayne told a Chicago crowd:[Jay-Z] “He helped me when I was in a really bad mood… This guy helped me with my taxes. He's a real friend, guys.”
