Nicki Minaj and Birdman seem to go at Jay-Z for not picking Lil Wayne to perform at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans next February. Weezy’s hometown is New Orleans, which appears to be why some rappers aren’t too fond of Kendrick Lamar as the pick.
After news broke over the weekend that Kendrick Lamar would be performing at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime show in New Orleans next year, reactions started to pour in from both fans and rappers. On Monday (Sep. 9), Nicki hopped on X and sounded off on Weezy’s omission and appeared to take shots at Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation company has served as the NFL’s live music entertainment strategist since 2019.
She posted several more tweets that shouted out Wayne for his early investment in and support for both her and Drake. Nicki reminisced on the time Wayne brought both of them on tour with “no papers signed.” She also brought up someone that “took a knee” during the national anthem. Nicki may have been pointing to Eminem, who took a knee during the Super Bowl performance he did with Dr. Dre in 2022. Former NLF player Colin Kaepernick famously took a knee during his time with the NFL, but since Nicki is speaking on hip-hop, it’s more likely the jab is at Em. She even mentioned “the other ni**a took the bag,” which could refer to Jay’s Roc Nation deal with the NFL.
“He was on all of my mixtapes w/no papers signed,” she continued. “This man has literally changed the FACE of hip hop. The hair too. IYKYK. He inspired so many to tat their faces & get locks. Inspired your faves to wanna be a great MC. He never was in this for the money. It’s always been for the love of music…One ni**a took a knee. The other ni**a took the bag. He gone get you ni***rs in line every fking time.”
She concluded that rap would never be the same without Wayne or his influence. “God forbid if Wayne was to leave this earth right now, the culture would be in mourning. That’s why so many ppl keep saying to give our legends their flowers while they are still around to smell them. Sitting around all day playing games with ppl life & legacy. God ain’t sleep. Gee Roberson you will learn that, too. Very soon.”
Birdman then appeared to echo Nicki’s sentiments in a slew of tweets of his own, hopping on X to criticize someone for being a “p**si.”
“Smfh These ni**az Pu**i @NICKIMINAJ @Drake @LilTunechi YMCMB,” he wrote.” I’m make these ni**az respek us on Gladys. Hatin sh*t 4real.”
While neither rapper has specifically called out Jay-Z in their tweets, there has been widespread frustration on social media over Kendrick being given the opportunity to perform over Lil Wayne considering K-Dot is a proud Californian and Weezy is from New Orleans.
While Kendrick’s pick for the halftime slot may appear as a no-brainer considering the record-breaking year he’s had with the success of his Drake diss “Not Like Us,” other rappers are still disappointed by the lack of love shown to Wayne for a Super Bowl performance in Weezy’s hometown. Still, Hov said in a personal statement that choosing Kendrick was very intentional because of his achievements.
“Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer,” Hov wrote in a statement about picking the 17-time Grammy Award winner for the Super Bowl show. “His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision. He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”
Master P was one of the first notable people to express his thoughts on the matter. While saluting Kendrick on Instagram on Sept. 8, he also supported the idea for Wayne to be highlighted.
“As Ambassador of Entertainment in the City of New Orleans I have to agree with the fans that @liltunechi #LilWayne should be a part of this celebration as well,” the No Limit Records found posted on Instagram. “He’s one of the greatest Hop Hop artists alive, still relevant and he’s a New Orleans native. Let’s not miss this cultural moment in the South.”
Cam’ron also expressed a similar sentiment on his sports podcast It Is What It Is with Ma$e.
“Listen, I love Kendrick Lamar,” Cam said. “I love The Pop Out. I think he’s one of the top artists of this generation. Period. Hate the selection. It’s in New Orleans. You don’t get Lil Wayne? That’s what we doing?”
Some rap enthusiasts have even gone so far as to speculate that Hov’s Kendrick pick is a direct scoff at Drake and Lil Wayne. None of the artists have chimed in on the conversation. However, it’s worth noting that Jay-Z did help Lil Wayne out of some serious unpaid tax debt. According to a 2018 report from USA Today, Lil Wayne owed over $7 million in unpaid taxes, as well as an additional $6.8 million in 2012, totaling $14,194,944.
“There’s people like Jay-Z. He helped me when I was really, really, really down. Really, really, really down,” Wayne said to a crowd during a Chicago show in 2018. “Jay don’t want me to tell nobody. That man helped me with my taxes. He’s a real friend, y’all.”
All of this to say: Kendrick very well still could pay homage to Weezy at the Super Bowl in February or bring him out like Eminem did with 50 Cent at the 2024 Halftime Show. Only time will tell.
