Kendrick Lamar was announced as the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show headliner on Sunday (Sept. 8), and hip-hop staples spoke up about Lil Wayne being overlooked with the 2025 big game being in his hometown of New Orleans.
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Master P voiced his opinion on Instagram, saying that Lil Wayne “should be part of this celebration,” as the No Limit Records boss serves as an ambassador of entertainment in the Big Easy.
“Salute to @kendricklamar for performing at the halftime show at Super Bowl LIX.. well deserved, he’s one of the hottest music artists in the world and has one of the biggest songs right now,” he began his post, before sharing his thoughts on Weezy. “As Ambassador of Entertainment in the City of New Orleans, I have to agree with the fans that @liltunechi #LilWayne should be a part of this celebration as well. He’s one of the greatest Hip Hop artists alive, still relevant, and he’s a New Orleans native. Let’s not miss this cultural moment in the South. Life is too short! We have to give our legends their flowers while they are here.”
Cam’ron and Mase returned with an episode of It Is What It Is on Monday (Sept. 9), during which they gave Kendrick Lamar his props, but couldn’t process how Lil Wayne wasn’t the Halftime Show selection. Cam put the onus on Jay-Z , who serves as a co-producer of the NFL’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, and speculated it could be due to issues with Hov and Wayne as rivals in the past.
“Listen, I love Kendrick Lamar… I hate the selection,” Cam began. “It’s in New Orleans and you don’t get Lil Wayne? That’s what we doing? You don’t get Lil Wayne in New Orleans for the Super Bowl? … There’s no reason why Lil Wayne shouldn’t be performing in the Super Bowl.”
He added: “It’s not really a secret, Lil Wayne had a problem with somebody before who’s kind of part of the organization running it. This is payback. Who’s Lil Wayne’s artist? Drake … Lil Wayne not to be performing in New Orleans for the Super Bowl is egregious and it’s gotta stop.”
Mase chimed in: “Hating at this age is crazy.”
Billboard has reached out to Jay-Z’s rep for comment.
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Even though he’s from about 80 miles northwest of New Orleans, Boosie Badazz also shared his disappointment in the NFL’s decision to go with Kendrick Lamar and not any artists from the Big Easy or his home state.
“ALL YALL ACTING LIKE YALL COOL WITH HOW THEY PLAYING IT FOR THE SUPERBOWL SMH THE MOST CULTURAL CITY N THE USA( NEW ORLÉANS)ITS A SMACK N THE FACE TO EVERY HIP HOP LEGEND FROM LOUISIANA,” he wrote. “@MasterPMiller @BIRDMAN5STAR THIS SHOWS THEY NEVER WANTED YALL TO KICK N THE DOOR N THE FIRST PLACE CAUSE THEY STILL TRYNA LOCK IT‼️ SUPERBOWL 22 WAS N CALI N CALI ARTIST WAS ALLOWED TO DO THEY THANG N IT WAS A GREAT SHOW‼️BUT NOW ITS N LOUISIANA N NO LOUISIANA LEGENDS CANT DO THEY THANG #idontrespectit.”
Lil Wayne’s longtime engineer, Fabian Marasciullo, expressed his disappointment in the decision to snub Weezy for K. Dot.
“Confused. Disappointed. Angry. But most of all, inspired,” Marasciullo wrote to his Instagram Story captured by Complex . “Will never again be in a position or have the in a position where we are at the mercy of someone else’s decision. We will make the decisions.”
Now, this doesn’t mean that Lil Wayne won’t be part of the Super Bowl Halftime festivities in any capacity. The stage is set for Kendrick to take the stage at Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. It won’t be Lamar’s first time taking part in the big game’s Halftime Show, as he was part of the West Coast celebration in 2022 alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent.
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar said in the statement announcing him as the Halftime Show performer. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”
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