After years of hoping to take the Super Bowl stage, Lil Wayne now says that dream is officially over. The New Orleans native revealed in a recent Rolling Stone interview that he no longer has interest in performing at the NFL’s biggest event—especially after being overlooked for the 2025 halftime show in his hometown.
“I said to myself, ‘I want to be onstage for the Super Bowl one day, in front of my mom.’ And I worked my a** off to get that f**kin’ position,” Wayne shared. “It was ripped away from me.”
Kendrick Lamar was ultimately chosen to headline Super Bowl LIX. The decision left Lil Wayne feeling overlooked and emotionally disconnected from a goal he once chased passionately.
Disappointment Turns to Resolve for Lil Wayne
Wayne was candid about what he did during the performance itself. Rather than tune in, he chose to shoot pool with Lil Twist and step outside to smoke. “Every time I looked, it was nothing that made me want to go inside and see what was going on,” he admitted. “They stole that feeling. I don’t want to do it. It was perfect.”
This statement, delivered plainly, marked the end of a long-held aspiration.
The 42-year-old rapper also explained that he made rare public appearances leading up to the announcement in hopes of improving his chances. “If you notice, I was a part of things I’ve never been a part of,” he said. “Like [Michael] Rubin’s all-white parties. I’m doing s*** with Tom Brady. That was all for that.”
“I ain’t Drake,” he added. “I ain’t out there smiling like that everywhere. I’m in the stu’, smokin’ and recording.”
A Legacy Untouched by the NFL Stage
Despite the snub, Lil Wayne expressed no bitterness toward Kendrick Lamar. “I’ve spoken to him and I wished him all the best and told him [he] better kill it,” he revealed.
Still, Wayne compared his career to that of a star athlete. “Imagine you’re a player-coach still averaging 30 a night,” he said. “I’m fine being the best rapper, and then you just found out, ‘Oh sh*t, he owns [Young Money]? Oh, he put Drake out?’ ”
With decades in the game and a legacy that’s already cemented, Wayne has now moved on. “It hurt a whole lot,” he said. “But I blame myself for mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my spot.”