Kendrick Lamar Addresses Lil Wayne’s Disappointment Over Super Bowl Halftime Show

Kendrick Lamar heard about Lil Wayne’s thoughts on his headlining role at the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper, 37, surprise released his sixth album, GNXon 22 November. In the text of the opening number “shaken murals,” Lamar addressed Wayne’s disappointment at not being selected to perform during the upcoming Super Bowl at Caesars Superdome in the “A Milli” emcee’s hometown of New Orleans.

“Bumping Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud / Irony, I think my hard work failed Lil Wayne / Whatever, call me crazy, everybody doubt / Make me an Eskimo, I drew the line and the decimals,” Lamar raps in the second verse.

Other lyrics find the “Humble” artist seemingly nodding to his high-profile feud with Drake and how many other hip-hop figures felt the need to pick sides, leading him to feel a general lack of support within the genre when he landed the Super Bowl gig.

“Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulated me / All these n—-s fired up, I’m just glad they show their faces,” Lamar added on the track.

Lamar was announced as the 2025 Super Bowl headliner on September 7, and Wayne shared his thoughts in a Instagram video less than a week later. “First of all, I want to say forgive me for the delay,” he began.

“I had to gain enough strength to do this without breaking down. I have to say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all the love and support out there. Your words became arms and held me up when I tried to fall back,” the “6 Foot 7 Foot” artist said.

Wayne expressed that he felt “hurt” when he saw the announcement of Lamar as the headliner of the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. “I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown and automatically mentally putting myself in the position that someone told me was my position,” he continued.

The Young Money Entertainment founder added, “But I thought there was nothing better than that place and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt.”

Lil Wayne in September 2023.

Ethan Miller/Getty


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He then switched focus to his “f—ing amazing” fans. “It made me feel like I didn’t get this opportunity and when I felt like s— you reminded me that I’m not without you and that’s an amazing reality.” Wayne said.

“Like I said, it broke me and I’m just trying to pull myself together, but my god, you all helped me,” he told fans. “Thank you to all my peers, my friends, my family, my sports TV boyfriends and everyone who represents me. I really appreciate it, I really do. I feel like I let you all down by not get that opportunity, but I’m working on me and I’m working, so thank you.”