There’s one person holding this back, and honestly, it’s not a big secret. Lil Wayne had beef with someone involved in the organization behind this, and now it feels like they’re getting back at him. My problem isn’t really with the people who booked the halftime show—it’s with the NFL. They’ve thrown 11 Super Bowls in New Orleans, and there’s some connection to Jay-Z that makes this whole thing feel like they’re disrespecting the city.
So, when news broke that Kendrick Lamar is headlining the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans, the internet and the hip-hop world exploded. But not everyone is happy, especially since Lil Wayne—who’s a legend from Nola—got completely overlooked. Fans and people in the industry are seriously upset, and they’re not holding back. A lot of them are pointing fingers at Jay-Z and the NFL, saying they disrespected New Orleans and snubbed Wayne.
And it gets even messier. Some people are saying this might be Jay-Z’s way of getting back at Lil Wayne for their past issues. As if that wasn’t enough, rumors are swirling that Drake has responded to the whole situation, and some believe he thinks Jay-Z might be plotting against him too. It’s a wild situation, so let’s break down all the reactions.
Jay-Z’s recent moves have definitely raised some eyebrows, especially considering his history with both Drake and Lil Wayne. It’s confusing because he’s worked with them before, but it feels like he’s throwing some shade. Nicki Minaj, unsurprisingly, was one of the first to speak up about Jay-Z and the NFL seemingly snubbing Lil Wayne. And if you’ve been keeping tabs, you know Nicki never misses an opportunity to take a shot at Jay-Z, no matter the situation. She’s been pretty open about her belief that Jay’s been trying to sabotage her career since day one.
And she didn’t hold back this time either. She flat-out called him “evil and spiteful” and even went as far as accusing him of meddling in everyone else’s business. She took to X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Got everything in the world, still spiteful and evil. Disgusting. Be happy, EIG. Go on, be effing happy, ninja, in rap business and women’s business. When you got the politicians and the police, you good though, plus that ugly Laffy Taffy alien.”
Now, when Nicki mentions the “ugly Laffy Taffy alien,” she’s likely referring to Desiree Perez, the president of Roc Nation and one of Jay-Z’s closest confidants. Nicki’s previously dragged Desiree, accusing her of working against her and allegedly paying for Megan Thee Stallion’s streams. Oh, and by the way, Desiree is also a former FBI informant, but that’s a whole different story for another time.
Nicki Minaj didn’t hold back when she called out Jay-Z for supposedly holding Lil Wayne back because of past beefs with Cash Money/Young Money. She said, “You’re denying a young Black man what he’s earned just because of your ego? Your grudge against Birdman, Drake, and me is making you punish Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne, the GOAT. Nola, what’s up?”
Eminem, who was pushing for 50 Cent to perform, saw Birdman chime in, demanding respect for his crew. Birdman tweeted, “Shaking my head. These fools disrespecting Nicki, Drake, Lil Wayne, YMCMB. I’m going to make them respect us. Hating is real.”
Meanwhile, Boosie Badazz, who’s from Louisiana, expressed his frustration on X about the Super Bowl lineup, suggesting a Louisiana rapper should have been chosen over Kendrick Lamar. Boosie posted, “Y’all are okay with how they’re handling the Super Bowl in New Orleans, one of the most culturally rich cities in the USA? It’s a slap in the face to hip-hop legends from Louisiana like Master P and Birdman. This shows they never wanted y’all to break through in the first place—they’re still trying to shut it down.”
Super Bowl 2022 was in California, and the show was great. But now that it’s in Louisiana, they didn’t include any Louisiana legends? I don’t respect it.
Master P was one of the first to speak out about who should have headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, and he made his stance clear on Instagram. While he acknowledged Kendrick Lamar’s incredible year and his well-earned spot in the spotlight, Master P felt that Lil Wayne should have been the one up there. He emphasized Wayne’s legendary status and deep ties to New Orleans, noting that having the Super Bowl in his hometown without featuring him was a missed opportunity.
Master P posted, “How are you going to have the Super Bowl in New Orleans and not let the hometown hero shine?” He tagged the NFL, Jay-Z, and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, saying, “Salute to Kendrick Lamar for performing at the halftime show at Super Bowl 59, well deserved. He’s one of the hottest music artists in the world right now with one of the biggest songs. As someone who represents entertainment in New Orleans, I agree with the fans that Lil Wayne should have been part of this celebration too. He’s one of the greatest hip-hop artists alive, still relevant, and a New Orleans native. We can’t miss this cultural moment in the South. Life is too short. We need to honor our legends while they’re still with us. Change starts with us.”
On the other hand, Cam’ron and Mase, during their “It Is What It Is” podcast, had a different take. While they agreed that Kendrick deserved his spot, they threw shade at Jay-Z, suggesting he might be holding a grudge against Lil Wayne. Cam’ron even implied that Jay-Z’s decision to feature Kendrick instead of Wayne could be a form of payback for past conflicts between him and Wayne.
Look, I’m a huge Kendrick Lamar fan—he’s definitely one of the top artists of this generation. But honestly, I’m really disappointed with the Super Bowl lineup. We’re talking about New Orleans, and they didn’t include Lil Wayne? How does that happen? This is the city that gave us Hot Boys and Cash Money, and Lil Wayne’s music is such a huge part of that. It’s baffling to see Blink-182 on the stage while Lil Wayne isn’t even considered.
Here’s the thing: there’s more to this than meets the eye. Lil Wayne had some past issues with someone who’s involved in organizing the Super Bowl. It feels like this might be some sort of payback. And who’s Lil Wayne’s artist? Drake. It seems like there’s some personal grudge here, which is just ridiculous.
There’s probably a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that you don’t know about, but the fact that Lil Wayne isn’t performing in his hometown for the Super Bowl is just wrong. It’s got to change. We’ll fill you in on the details later, but this situation needs to be addressed.
I’m sticking to my guns on this one. Hating like this at this level is just crazy. I work with Wayne, and he’s a fantastic guy. This isn’t about Kendrick; he definitely deserves his moment. But there’s clearly some backstory here that’s affecting the decision. It’s really disappointing to see Lil Wayne left out.
It’s just sad. It’s like, come on—are we really this insecure?
Juvenile, the former Cash Money artist, recently shared his thoughts on the Super Bowl halftime show, and his frustration is clearly directed at the NFL’s higher-ups rather than Jay-Z. He specifically called out NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and others involved in the decision-making process.
“Everyone’s been asking me about the Super Bowl, and yeah, I’m upset too. But my issue isn’t with Jay-Z; it’s with the NFL itself. I’m frustrated with the people who decide who gets booked for the halftime show. The NFL has held 11 Super Bowls in New Orleans, yet they’ve never featured a hip-hop artist from our city. Sure, there have been artists in the past, but the list is pretty short. It’s especially disappointing when you think that Lil Wayne wasn’t included this time.
“I just can’t wrap my head around why Lil Wayne wasn’t part of the halftime show. He’s got a ton of hits and could bring out artists from all kinds of genres. Roger Goodell, this is on you. You come to our city, profit from our culture, and fill your pockets, but no one from our culture gets to perform. That’s just wrong.