Lil Wayne Reacts To Super Bowl Halftime Show Snub: 'It Broke Me'
"I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown... That hurt, it hurt a lot."
Lil Wayne (Source: Supplied)
Lil Wayne, legendary rapper and New Orleans native, has reacted to the news that Kendrick Lamar will headline next year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show – a gig he believed was his – saying it “broke” him.
Lil Wayne began in an emotional video posted to Instagram yesterday (13 September): “First of all, I wanna say forgive me for the delay – I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking.
“I’ma say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all the love and support out there. Your words turned to arms and held me up when I tried to fall back.”
“[Not being picked] hurt — it hurt a lot,” he continued. “I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown. For just automatically mentally putting myself in that position like someone told me that was my position.
“That hurt, it hurt a lot. I thought there was nothing better [than] that spot on that stage, on that platform.”
“It broke me, but I’m just trying to put myself back together,” he said. “But my God, have you all helped me. Thanks to all my peers, my friends, my family, my homies on the 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.”
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You can watch the video below.
As Variety notes, Wayne has repeatedly expressed his desire to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show over the years.
Earlier this year, Lil Wayne appeared in a podcast and discussed the Super Bowl heading to New Orleans, saying he hadn’t received a call about the headlining position, “but we all praying, we keeping our fingers crossed.”
The rapper figured he’d get the chance this time when the event heads to his hometown at Caesar’s Stadium, New Orleans, on Sunday, 9 February. While Lil Wayne moved to Miami years ago, he remains linked to New Orleans.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Kendrick Lamar would headline the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Forbes reports that Jay-Z—whose agency, Roc Nation, partnered with the NFL in 2019—has received criticism for having Lamar headline the event over Lil Wayne.
Jay-Z described Lamar as a “once-in-a-generation artist and performer” whose love and respect for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision.
“He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally,” Jay-Z continued. “Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”
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