Lil Wayne Finally Spoke Out Saying It “Hurt A Lot” Not Being Selected To Perform At The Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show In His Hometown Of New Orleans
I already covered this earlier in the week after news broke on Sunday morning that Jay Z and the NFL had chosen Kendrick Lamar as this years Super Bowl halftime performer.
After Lil Wayne's friend, and fellow Young Money rapper Nicki Minaj went off on Jay Z on twitter blasting him, I blogged -
Barstool Sports - Look, it's not like Jay-Z and Lil Wayne are openly feuding or anything. They've even worked together on some killer tracks, and they've both said positive things about each other's talent at different times. But, you know, there's definitely a bit of an edge there. They're both giants in the rap game, and it's only natural that there's some competition between them.
Think about it - they've both been at the top of their game for years, vying for that number one spot. It's bound to create a little friction, right? Plus, there have been a few instances where things got a bit spicy. Birdman, Lil Wayne's mentor, once claimed Wayne was a better rapper than Jay-Z. That probably didn't go over too well. And then there were those subtle disses in some of their songs, like on the 2011 track "H.A.M." by Jay-Z and Kanye West, there's a line perceived as a diss towards Birdman, which could be interpreted as indirectly targeting Lil Wayne due to their close association.
Lil Wayne seemingly responded on his 2011 song "It's Good" with lyrics aimed at Jay-Z.
And yah, they've collaborated on several massive songs, like"Hello Brooklyn 2.0," "Mr. Carter," and "Swagga Like Us." But you know the saying, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" right? There's always been whispers that Jay Z has always seen Lil Wayne as more of a threat to his legacy than as a friend.
Basically, Jay-Z got this gig picking the Super Bowl halftime acts 'cause the NFL was in hot water a few years back. People were pissed about how they handled the whole Kaepernick thing and all those protests, and the halftime show was getting kinda stale.
The partnership between Roc Nation and the NFL as a PR move, a way for the league to deflect attention from its ongoing issues with racial inequality and player protests.
Critics argue that the NFL is essentially pandering to Jay-Z, using his influence and celebrity to improve its image without addressing the underlying problems. It's seen as a superficial attempt to appear "woke" while avoiding real change.
So, they bring in Jay-Z and his company, Roc Nation, to make things cool again. And yeah, he's brought in some huge names - J.Lo, Shakira, even freaking Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg two years ago in LA. The halftime show's definitely more exciting now. But it still got there because they were kissing up to Jay Z and the rap community to begin with.
And this entire move of tabbing Kendrick Lamar to perform this year in New Orleans kind of wreaks of pettiness when all things are considered.
PETTY being the keyword here.
This is a move straight out of Game Of Thrones by Jay Z. Instead of annointing a successor to his throne, granting the largest of stages to Lil Wayne, in his hometown, he snubs him AND sends a dagger through the heart of Drake - the rapper who people forget, not so long ago, was being talked about in the greatest ever discussion. Whether you agree like Drake himself, and Nicky Smokes, or disagree, like anybody with a brain.
(Fun fact - I was going through old songs that Lil Wayne collaborated on with Jay Z, songs Kendrick did with Drake, and songs Jay Z did with Drake, and came across this gem from Jay Z on his featured verse on “Light Up” from Drake’s debut album, Thank Me Later, Jay offers some sage advice to Drake to use in future conflicts.)
Drake, here’s how they gon’ come at you —
With silly rap feuds,
trying to distract you;In disguise,
in the form of a favor:
Barzini meeting, watch for the traitors.
Drake has always been throwing subtle little shots at Jay Z in his songs, (“I’m just feeling like The Throne is for the taking, watch me take it”), so if you think this entire hypothesis is far-fetched, you're wrong.
Just ask Cam'ron and Mase who chimed in this week as well, calling Jay Z a petty old man. (They're right). And Pat backdoored this one.
This whole thing is more dramatic than Days of Our Lives at this point.
p.s. - for the people making the argument saying Lil Wayne got passed on because his live shows are boring, you're crazy