Lil Wayne Super Bowl Halftime Show Debate: What Rappers Are Saying About Weezy Not Getting the Gig

When you think of New Orleans, who comes to mind?

For many, the answer is Lil Wayne, whose readily apparent influence on ensuing generations of artists is inarguable. Weezy, however, will not be headlining the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at the Caesar Superdome next February.

As recently announced, that honor has instead gone to Kendrick Lamar, who’s had a very good year amid his and Drake’s historic back-and-forth. Naturally, Wayne’s absence from the announcement was immediately (and continuously) called out by fans who had long speculated that the Powers That Be would make this a Young Money moment to remember.

Weezy himself, as previously reported, said in a 4HUNNID podcast interview earlier this year that he was “praying” for the opportunity, arguing that the volume of hits in his catalog would allow him to showcase multiple decades during his would-be headlining performance.

But it’s not just fans who’ve been speaking out in recent days. Below, we take a look at what other artists have said about Kendrick bagging the Super Bowl gig, including several voices from the YMCMB universe.

Birdman

The Cash Money co-founder, who discovered Weezy at a young age, appeared to respond to the news in a series of tweets. In one such X update, he called out unnamed individuals as “pussi” and tagged Young Money alum Nicki Minaj and, yes, Drake.

“I’m make these n***az respek us on Gladys,” he wrote, referencing his late mother.

Juvenile

The NFL was the target of Juvenile’s criticism, with the Hot Boys alum saying it “hit hard” to not see Weezy as a part of the announcement.

"Look, I'm mad about the situation just like y'all man,” he told fans. “But look, my hatred is toward the NFL. Not really the people who booked the halftime show. I'm mad at the people who hired the motherfuckers who booked the halftime show. I feel like y'all should step in. Ya'll booked 11 Super Bowls in New Orleans. Y'all have yet to put a hip-hop act from New Orleans on the damn Super Bowl.”

Master P

Master P, also a New Orleans-born artist, took a more zoomed out, legacy-minded approach.

“Let’s not miss this cultural moment in the South,” he said, in part, in a message shared to Instagram. “Life is too short! We have to give our legends their flowers while they are here."

Nicki Minaj

Nicki, seemingly, offered criticism for Jay-Z, who’s been made the subject of Weezy-related speculation due to Roc Nation’s NFL deal. She also made a reference to Colin Kaepernick.

“Tried to tell y’all but y’all wanted brunch,” she said in one tweet, later arguing that the entirety of the music industry tends to “play dumb time after time.”

Later, she clarified that one can appreciate the artistry of both Kendrick and Wayne simultaneously, a level of nuance that appears to be lost on some.

Cam’ron and Mase

The final minutes of a recent episode of the duo’s It Is What It Is podcast with Treasure “Stat Baby” Wilson included some characteristically candid commentary on matters of halftimery, with Jay again being seemingly referenced, albeit without anyone actually naming names.

“Listen, I love Kendrick Lamar,” Cam said in the episode “I love The Pop Out. I think he’s one of the top artists of this generation. Period. Hate the selection. It’s in New Orleans. You don’t get Lil Wayne? That’s what we doing?”

Later, he got a bit more specific, like so: “There’s one person who’s stopping this. 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.”

Mase, meanwhile, joked that he was going to “start saying names,” at one point stating, “Hating at this age is crazy.”

Boosie Badazz

Boosie pointed to the 2022 halftime proceedings, which took place in California and also featured Kendrick, as how things should have gone in Louisiana for the 2025 lineup.

“It’s a smack in the face to every hip-hop legend from Louisiana,” Boosie wrote on X, tagging Master P and Birdman.

Funkmaster Flex

As for Flex, he took issue with the proverbial finger being widely pointed at HOV.

“We gotta stop blaming Jay-Z for everything,” he said. “The NFL has never cared about people of color.”

Weezy’s legacy, he added, “is already written in stone.”

Fabian Marasciullo

Weezy’s longtime mixing engineer appeared to address the Kendrick announcement in an Instagram Stories update, noting that his feelings on the matter ranged from “confused” to “inspired.” Moving forward, he added, “the GOAT,” presumably Weezy, will “never again” be put in a position where “we are at the mercy of someone else’s decision.”

Super Bowl LIX will take place next year on February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.