Lil Wayne ruled out ever performing at the Super Bowl after being passed over for the 2025 Halftime Show in his hometown of New Orleans.
Lil Wayne has ruled out ever performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show after being overlooked for this year’s coveted slot in his hometown of New Orleans in favor of Kendrick Lamar.
The Grammy-winning rapper told Rolling Stone he was “hurt” by the decision and said the snub was enough to make him walk away from the idea for good.
“They stole that feeling. I don’t want to do it. It was perfect,” he said in the magazine’s cover story.
Wayne, 42, had hoped to take the stage in February at the Caesars Superdome, where the NFL will host Super Bowl LIX.
Instead, the league tapped Lamar, the Compton-born Hip-Hop artist, to headline the show. Wayne didn’t tune in for the performance.
“Every time I looked, it was nothing that made me want to go inside and see what was going on,” he said, recalling how he spent the evening playing pool and smoking outside with a friend.
The “Lollipop” rapper said he had been led to believe he was in serious consideration for the show after the NFL encouraged him to increase his public visibility.
He pointed to appearances he usually wouldn’t do, including a project with NFL legend Tom Brady.
“To perform, it’s a bunch of things they’re going to tell you to do and not do, a*ses to kiss and not kiss,” Wayne said. “If you notice, I was a part of things I’ve never been a part of… I’m doing s**t with Tom Brady. That was all for that. You ain’t never seen me in them types of venues. I ain’t Drake. I ain’t out there smiling like that everywhere. I’m in the (studio), smokin’ and recording.”
Wayne also revealed that someone from the NFL later apologized, telling him they weren’t responsible for choosing the Halftime Show act.
Despite the disappointment, Wayne said there’s no bad blood between him and Kendrick Lamar.
Before the performance, he called the “Not Like Us” rapper to offer support and clear the air.
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