While football fans are months away from knowing which teams will be playing in Super Bowl 59, we now know who will take the field at halftime.
Ahead of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, the NFL and Apple Music announced Kendrick Lamar will be gracing the stage at New Orleans' Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. And while K.Dot has drawn influence from some of New Orleans' biggest musical acts, his Los Angeles roots have caused many to question whether or not he was the right artist for the job.
Among those influential New Orleans artists is Lil Wayne, whose ascent to superstardom began in 1997 when he was one-fourth of the Hot Boys. Over the past four decades, Wayne's solo career has consisted of classic albums, broken records and five Grammy Awards. Through it all, he has proudly represented New Orleans.
As Lil Wayne is synonymous with his hometown, many believe he was snubbed from the Super Bowl 59 halftime show.
Here is what fans and other prominent industry figures have said about Wayne not earning the Super Bowl nod.
MORE: Kendrick Lamar tabbed as halftime performer for Super Bowl 59
Was Lil Wayne snubbed from Super Bowl 59 halftime show?
In response to the news of Kendrick Lamar's performance, many fans took to social media to express disappointment that Lil Wayne was not given the honor.
Percy "Master P" Miller, another New Orleans legend, took to Instagram to echo the sentiment of the fans.
"As Ambassador of Entertainment in the City of New Orleans, I have to agree with the fans that [Lil Wayne] should be a part of this celebration as well," Miller wrote in his caption. "He's one of the greatest Hip Hop artists alive, still relevant and he's a New Orleans native. Let's not miss this cultural moment in the South. Life is too short!"
Ahead of the 2024 season, New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell appointed Miller as her ambassador of entertainment. While his role will include the promotion of arts and entertainment in the city, Super Bowl halftime performers are announced by the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation.
While there wasn't an official response from Wayne or his label, Cash Money Records, his mixing engineer Fabian Marasciullo took to his Instagram story to react.
"Confused. Disappointed. Angry. But most of all. Inspired," Marasciullo said. "Will never again be in a position or have the [goat] in a position where we are at the mercy of someone else’s decision. We will make the decisions."
On the other side, some fans questioned whether or not Wayne would have been the best choice — he will soon turn 42 and has admitted that he has forgotten some lyrics to his most notable hits from over the years. Still, Wayne could have been the center of a New Orleans homage that could also feature fellow Hot Boys Juvenile, Turk and B.G., Cash Money Millionaires Mannie Fresh and Birdman, among many of the city's other prolific performers.
New Orleans' musical history is rich enough to lend itself to a tribute similar to the Los Angeles artists featured at halftime of Super Bowl 56 at SoFi Stadium.
While Wayne is not the headliner, there's still a chance K.Dot uses the platform to amplify the history of New Orleans. Lamar has collaborated with Wayne in the past, interpolated Juvenile lyrics in his song "Element" and created his own music video for the Hot Boys' 1999 single "Hot Girl" during a delay at the Paris airport.
In time, the public reaction could result in Wayne — and other New Orleans artists — having a role in Lamar's halftime performance.
Lil Wayne responds to Super Bowl snub
Lil Wayne took to Instagram early Friday morning to deliver a somber response to Sunday's announcement.
“I’mma say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all love and support out there. Your words turned into arms and held me up when I tried to fall back,” Wayne said.
“That hurt. It hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about. It hurt a whole lot,” he continued. “I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown. And for automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position. So I blame myself for that. But I thought that was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot.”
Warning: The video contains NSFW language.