Lil Wayne has revealed that he and Kendrick Lamar have spoken about the latter’s 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show performance – see what Wayne had to say below.
READ MORE: Kendrick Lamar – ‘GNX’ review: turning hatred into a teachable moment
In September, the NFL announced that Kendrick Lamar will headline the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. While the decision went down smoothly with the public, New Orleans natives were upset that hometown hero and rap legend Lil Wayne was not getting the honour.
Kendrick Lamar in Compton shooting the ‘Not Like Us’ music video. Photo credit: Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Lil Wayne himself took to social media to voice his disappointment at the snub: “That hurt. Hurt a lot, you know what I’m talking about, hurt a whole lot. I blamed myself for not being mentally prepared for a let down which is automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position. So I blamed myself for that.”
Now, it appears as though things have changed between Wayne and Lamar, with the former revealing in a chat with Skip Bayless that the two have touched base to talk about the Super Bowl gig.
Wayne told Bayless: “I’ve spoken to him, and I wish him all the best and I told him he better kill it. He gotta kill it.”
Prior to their chat, Kendrick Lamar surprise-dropped his new album, ‘GNX’ in November, in which he namechecked Lil Wayne on opening track ‘Wacced Out Murals’: “Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud / Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down”.
This led to Wayne responding on social media: “Man wtf I do?! I just be chillin & dey still kome 4 my head. Let’s not take kindness for weakness. Let this giant sleep. I beg u all. No one really wants destruction, not even me but I shall destroy if disturbed. On me. Love.”
Bayless asked about Kendrick Lamar’s call out, to which Lil Wayne suggested that was the first time he was hearing of it: “That’s my first time hearing it. I think he’s a fan like I’m a fan of his music. I think means he saw what everyone else saw, he saw how much it meant to me. He didn’t let me down.”
Wayne continued: “There was no explanation that was needed for that. I think I understand. His hard work is the reason why he made it there, and obviously that part about letting me down is me just being upset and disappointed about not getting the spot.”
Lil Wayne. Photo credit: Josh Brasted/Getty Images for ESSENCE
Finally, Bayless asked if Wayne would make an appearance with Kendrick Lamar if asked. However, Wayne replied that he “won’t even be in the country” come February 9.
Kendrick Lamar’s ‘GNX’ was ranked number 12 on NME’s 50 Best Albums of 2024 list, while his Drake-beef hit ‘Not Like Us’ was crowned NME’s second Best Song of the Year.
‘GNX’ itself scored a glowing five-star review from NME‘s Kyann-sian Williams: “In a way, ‘Gloria’ is symbolic: ‘GNX’ starts off with such an ominous tone that doesn’t necessarily leave. But Lamar channels what could be interpreted as hate and negativity into a teachable moment, leading you to draw upon the purest emotion known to man: love. In a year that started with so much venom, Kendrick Lamar shares the antidote on ‘GNX’.”
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