Lil Wayne has revealed that he spoke directly with Kendrick Lamar following news of Lamar’s upcoming Super Bowl halftime show performance. Despite earlier disappointment, Wayne insists there are no hard feelings.
During an appearance on The Skip Bayless Show on Monday (Dec. 16), Wayne opened up about being passed over for the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show in his hometown of New Orleans. Kendrick Lamar was ultimately chosen for the coveted spot, a decision that initially stung the legendary rapper.
“For whatever reason, I believe it’s over my head. I don’t know why, period. Obviously, I believe that it’s perfect… I do not know why,” Wayne told Bayless. “I’ve spoken to [Kendrick], and I wish him all the best and I told him he better kill it.”
Lil Wayne Has No Hard Feelings, Just Motivation
Wayne clarified that he doesn’t take the situation personally. Instead, he views it as a motivator to keep improving.
“The person I am? I straight look at it like, ‘you ain’t there, you gotta get there.’ There’s things I can’t control,” Wayne said. “I want to get to the point where I’m undeniable. I want them to walk in there and have 10 other choices, and whoever’s in charge says, ‘No, you have to go with him!’”
Bayless also brought up Kendrick’s lyrics from “wacced out murals,” where Lamar rapped, “Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud/ Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down.” Wayne appeared surprised and admitted he hadn’t heard the line before.
Wayne interpreted the lyric as Lamar showing respect. “I think he’s [Kendrick] a fan like I’m a fan of his music… he saw how much it meant to me. Obviously, he can’t control that,” Wayne explained. “He didn’t let me down… his hard work got him there.”
While Wayne had expressed deep disappointment back in September, his tone has since softened. At the time, he admitted, “It hurt. It hurt a whole lot,” in a heartfelt Instagram message to fans. Now, however, he’s fully supporting Lamar.
“I told him he better kill it. You gotta kill it,” Wayne emphasized. Though he won’t be in attendance due to prior commitments overseas, Wayne’s message to Lamar is clear: he’s rooting for him to succeed on one of music’s biggest stages.