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Lil Wayne won’t be performing at a Super Bowl anytime soon—and he’s not hiding his frustration. In a new Rolling Stone cover story, the New Orleans rap icon revealed how deeply it hurt that they overlooked him for the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, hosted in his hometown, per Uproxx.
“They stole that feeling,” Wayne said of the NFL’s decision to go with Kendrick Lamar instead. “I don’t want to do it. It was perfect.”
This wasn’t a sudden dream. Wayne had previously told Rolling Stone back in 2023 that headlining a Super Bowl, especially in New Orleans, was at the top of his wish list. When signs pointed to it actually happening, Wayne began making moves that were out of character—like attending Michael Rubin’s all-white parties and appearing in public alongside Tom Brady. According to him, the NFL nudged him to boost his profile.
“I ain’t Drake,” he told the magazine. “I’m in the stu’, smokin’ and recording. But they had me out there, smiling, doing sh-t I don’t do.”
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Wayne said those moves gave him the impression that the halftime show slot was his. But when Kendrick Lamar became the one announced, Wayne got an apology from someone inside the league, claiming, “We ain’t in charge.” The rapper said the NFL told him they overruled him and would have to “settle with whatever they say.”
Despite the personal sting, Wayne clarified he has no ill will toward Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation has overseen Super Bowl halftime show curation in recent years.
Still, don’t expect Wayne to reconsider down the line. “That was the moment. That was the one,” he said. “And it’s gone.”
Lil Wayne is currently preparing for the release of Tha Carter VI, which features an eclectic mix of collaborators including Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Andrea Bocelli, Machine Gun Kelly, and Bono. Kanye West also produced a track, though its final inclusion remains up in the air.
