Lil Wayne says Super Bowl Halftime show snub ‘broke me’

Although devastated that he wasn’t selected to headline the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime show in his hometown of New Orleans, Lil Wayne said Thursday that he’s grateful for every voice that has supported him since Kendrick Lamar was announced last weekend as the halftime performer.

“Your words turned into arms and held me up when I tried to fall back,” the “Sucker for Pain” and “Love Me” rapper said late Thursday in an Instagram Live, noting that he blames himself for assuming he would “automatically” get the high-profile gig.

The Crescent City hip-hop star, who had been public about his desire to headline at the Super Bowl in his hometown, received an outpouring of support from fans and fellow artists when he was passed up in favor of Lamar for the February showcase. Cash Money mogul Birdman, Wayne’s labelmate Nicki Minaj and rappers Juvenile, Cam’ron and Master P all came to his defense since the apparent snub.

“That hurt, hurt a lot, it hurt a whole lot,” the 41-year-old said in the candid video. “I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown and for just automatically putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position. So I blame myself for that.

“I thought there was nothing better than that spot, that stage and that platform in my city. So it hurt, it hurt a whole lot. But y’all are f— amazing. It made me feel like s— not getting this opportunity and when I felt like s—, you guys reminded me that I ain’t s— without y’all. And that’s an amazing reality.”

The “Loyal” and “Whats Poppin” featured rapper said that the snub “broke him” and that he’s just trying to put himself back together, shouting out to those who have helped him, including his peers, friends, family, “homies on sports television and everybody repping me.”

“I feel like I let all of y’all down by not getting that opportunity but I’m working on me and I’m working. So, thank you,” he said.

The five-time Grammy winner also asked his 19 million followers to forgive him for “the delay” in addressing the snub, saying that he “had to get strength enough to do this without breaking.”

Born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., the “Lollipop” and “A Milli” emcee broke out in NOLA as a teen member of the Hot Boys in the late 1990s, charting with 25 Top 10 hits and five Billboard 200 No. 1 albums. He also takes partial credit for making Drake and Nicki Minaj stars and has dipped into fields from sports management to marijuana. He also notoriously met with then-President Trump during his 2020 campaign.

“As an artist, this is an achievement,” Lil Wayne said of the halftime show in an interview with sports journalist Taylor Rooks last year. “This has nothing to do with the sport. That’s so crazy. I don’t care what teams are playing, what city it’s in. ‘You performed for the what?!’ Like, what? Oh man, that right there is an achievement.”

RocNation, Apple Music and the National Football League announced Sunday that Lamar will headline the 2025 show on Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. It will be Lamar’s second time performing at the Super Bowl after last taking to the field in 2022 with Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak for an Emmy-winning performance at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”

“Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer,” Roc Nation founder Jay-Z added. “His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision. He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”

Jay-Z’s entertainment company has produced the globally watched halftime show for six years now, coordinating performances by Usher, Rihanna, the Weeknd, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, plus Dr. Dre’s hip-hop spectacular. It also has worked to strengthen the NFL’s relationship with Black communities since the fallout from football star Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protests, pushing for “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to be sung along with the National Anthem ahead of games since 2020.

Compton-born Lamar — a 17-time Grammy winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient — has dominated the hip-hop genre over the past few months with his rapid-fire feud with Toronto emcee Drake, which he deftly punctuated with the summer smash “Not Like Us.” The prolific rapper also released a new track on Instagram on Wednesday, his first since “Not Like Us” capped his four other anti-Drake diss tracks.

Lamar has not yet addressed Lil Wayne’s remarks, and representatives for Lamar, Roc Nation, the NFL and Apple Music did not immediately respond Friday to The Times’ requests for comment.

It should be noted that it’s not uncommon for halftime headliners to bring out surprise guests, so Lil Wayne could potentially get some time on the field after all.

Times staff writers Ashley Lee and August Brown contributed to this report.