“They stole that feeling" - Lil Wayne claims he will never perform a Super Bowl halftime show for NFL
Rap legend Lil Wayne has officially shut the door on ever gracing the stage of the Super Bowl halftime show. He expressed disappointment about being overlooked for the 2025 show in his native city of New Orleans. The Grammy-winning rapper had openly lobbied to perform at the 2025 Super Bowl, rendering his rejection even more stinging when the NFL chose Kendrick Lamar.
Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., is one of the most awarded hip-hop artists with five Grammy awards and 120 million records sold globally. The 2025 Super Bowl happened at Caesars Superdome between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.
In a new Rolling Stone cover story published on Thursday, Wayne opened up about the situation.
"They stole that feeling," Wayne said. "I don't want to do it. It was perfect." The rapper added that the chance to perform in his hometown made the rejection especially painful.
Wayne initially expressed interest in performing at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show. He told Rolling Stone that he'd be "thrilled" to perform while the game was happening in his home stadium. After Lamar was announced as headliner in September, Wayne posted a tearful video saying that the announcement "broke" him.
Lil Wayne talks about the effort he put in for the halftime show at the Super Bowl
Lil Wayne disclosed that he had dramatically changed his public image and activities to boost his odds of getting the Super Bowl contract.
"To perform, it's a bunch of things they're going to tell you to do and not do, asses to kiss and not kiss," Wayne said on Thursday, via Rolling Stone. "If you notice, I was a part of things I've never been a part of. Like (Michael) Rubin's all-white parties. I'm doing shit with Tom Brady. That was all for that. You ain't never seen me in them types of venues. I'm not Drake. I ain't out there smiling like that everywhere. I'm in the stu', smokin' and recording."
The artist reported that someone in the NFL apologized to him and said, "We ain't in charge" regarding the decision for the Super Bowl halftime event. This is somewhat confusing since Roc Nation, Jay-Z's business, has secured the halftime show since 2019. Jay-Z was "a close friend" who gave him good advice, Wayne claimed that he didn't receive a reply from Jay-Z or the NFL after Rolling Stone submitted a request to comment on it.
Despite the professional setback, Wayne explained that his friendship with Lamar is still good. He called the L.A. rapper before the Super Bowl to straighten things out and send a message of support. The call was made after Lamar used the controversy as a reference for his song "GNX," rapping, "I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down."
A week after avoiding the Super Bowl, Wayne took the alternate high-profile platform, performing on the 50th anniversary episode of "Saturday Night Live."