Lil Wayne: Not Being Selected For The Super Bowl 'Broken Me'
Nearly a week after Kendrick Lamar was announced as the Super Bowl halftime show star, New Orleans native Lil Wayne admitted that not being chosen for the spot “broke” him.
“It was so painful. I thought there was nothing better than this place, on that stage, on that platform,” he said in a statement posted on Instagram.
“It broke me, but I’m trying to get myself back together.” Wayne has expressed interest in performing at the show several times over the years. The match is scheduled to take place at Caesars Stadium in New Orleans on February 9.
After Los Angeles native Lamar was announced as the lead singer of the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, an online buzz began over his selection over Wayne — and Nicki Minaj, another Wayne protégé, was among the first to speak out. While Lamar is the greatest and most influential rapper in the world right now, Wayne’s legacy in music is immense and began much earlier — in the 1990s when he emerged as a precocious teen rapper with the Hot Boyz. Although he has largely moved to Miami for years, he remains closely associated with New Orleans.
Lamar's recent feud with Drake – whom Wayne mentored early in his career – has only increased his preeminence, especially the Drake-bashing “Not Like Us,” which is one of the biggest hits of the year.
Matters are further complicated by the fact that Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company oversees the Super Bowl entertainment, although the NFL and the city of New Orleans also played a role in his selection. Jay has been widely criticized for his role in the decision, with rappers like Fat Joe and Fabolous coming to his defense.
“First, I want to say sorry for the delay,” Wayne says at the beginning of the clip. “I had to find the strength to do this without breaking. I want to thank every voice, every opinion, every care, every love and support. Your words turned into arms that held me up when I tried to back down.”
“[Not being picked] “It was very painful,” Wayne continues. “I blame myself for not mentally preparing myself for the disappointment. Because I automatically put myself in that position mentally as if someone had told me that this was my position.”
Wayne and Jay-Z are the elder statesmen of hip-hop, with Lamar and Drake leading the next generation. While Jay and Lamar don’t have the mentoring relationship that Wayne and Drake have, they’ve had a close relationship over the years and Lamar has performed with Jay’s wife Beyoncé — including on her song “Freedom,” which became an anthem for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. Both rappers performed with Beyoncé in New Jersey on the closing day of her 2016 Lemonade tour, though they weren’t together.
“Kendrick Lamar is a truly unique artist and performer,” Jay said of Lamar in Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime promo. “His deep love for hip-hop music and culture shapes his artistic vision. He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture on a global scale. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”
diverse There will be more details on the situation as it develops.
