Lil Wayne says Super Bowl Halftime snub 'broke' him
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 05: Lil Wayne performs onstage during Day 1 of the 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola at Caesars Superdome on July 05, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for ESSENC
LOS ANGELES - Lil Wayne opened up for the first time about his devastation after not being selected as the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show headline performer in his hometown of New Orleans.
The rap megastar publicly expressed his hurt feelings in an Instagram video post Friday, nearly a week after Los Angeles-based rapper Kendrick Lamar was announced as the headliner. He said being overlooked "broke" him, adding that "I’m just trying to put myself back together."
Over the years, Wayne has been vocal about his desire to perform during halftime of the NFL’s championship game, which will be held at the Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9. It will be the second time Lamar will perform during the halftime show after he made a guest appearance with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem in 2022.
Wayne appeared somber in the video, saying he had to muster up enough strength to express his thoughts "without breaking."
"That hurt a whole lot," said Wayne, a five-time Grammy winner, who has a variety of hits including "Lollipop" featuring Static Major, "Mr. Carter" with Jay-Z, "Go DJ" and "A Milli." He also helped ignite the careers of Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga.
"I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown, for automatically mentally putting myself in that position," he said. "I thought there was nothing better than that spot, on that stage, on that platform in my city."
Wayne thanked his supporters — including Minaj and Birdman — who have spoken up on his behalf.
MIAMI BEACH, FL - APRIL 08: Birdman, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Fred Durst attend Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded Album Release Party at LIV nightclub at Fontainebleau Miami on April 8, 2012 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Vallery Jean/WireImage)
"I feel like I let all of ya’ll down for not getting that opportunity," Wayne said.
However, Wayne also noted that "Your words turned into arms and held me up when I tried to fall back."