Social media had mixed reactions to the Super Bowl announcement, where the NFL announced that Kendrick Lamar would be headlining the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Super Bowl LIX will be held on February 9, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Once learning of the location of the Super Bowl, some hip-hop fans believed that Lil Wayne would be the obvious choice since he was born and raised in NOLA. However, Kendrick being announced as the performer despite having a trailblazing year in both the culture and music, left some fans causing an uproar — no pun intended — online.
Nicki Minaj, Boosie Badazz, and Lil Wayne himself got into the mix as they were very vocal about the NFL's decision in what they thought was them to choose Kendrick over Lil Tunechi and most importantly who was responsible. Despite reports claiming that Jay-Z does not pick the performer, it has since been confirmed that is untrue. In an interview with Variety, Super Bowl Halftime Show producer Jesse Collins confirmed that Jay-Z has chosen the Super Bowl performer each year since his 2019 deal with the NFL.
“It's a decision that Jay makes,” said Collins who has worked with the NFL on the show since 2021. “Since we've been on board with that show, he's made it every year, and it's been amazing. He's always picked right!”
“We love Wayne,” said Collins. “There’s always Vegas odds on who’s going to get to perform it. But I think we’re going to do an amazing show with Kendrick, and I think everybody’s going to love the halftime show. I know Kendrick is going to work exceptionally hard to deliver an amazing show.”
Jay-Z Chooses Super Bowl Performer, Lil Wayne Speaks Out Over Drama
While the internet went back and forth with the Super Bowl Halftime show, Wayne thanked fans for the support.
“I wanna say thank you. I wanna say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all the love and the support out there,” Lil Wayne shared on Instagram. “Your words turned into arms and held me up when I tried to fall back. That hurt. Hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about. It hurt a whole lot.”
Nicki, who Wayne signed with Young Money Entertainment in 2009, mostly came for Jay's decision and defended Wayne as an artist. However, at the end of her messages on X, she signified that while she felt it was disrespectful of the NFL, fans do not have to choose between Kendrick and Wayne.
“You can love & respect Kendrick and still love & respect Wayne. Even Kendrick loves & respects Wayne. Every real rapper loves & respects Wayne,” she wrote.
This will be Kendrick's second time performing at the Super Bowl. He performed alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg in 2022. This year, Kendrick released “Not Like Us,” the final blow in his beef with Drake back in May. The song went on to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with fans claiming it was the song of the summer.
Jay-Z has not responded to the drama surrounding the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The rap mogul and his entertainment company Roc Nation inked a deal with the NFL in 2019 to choose musical acts for the world's biggest stage and aid in social justice efforts.
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