Lil Wayne fans are still seething with disappointment after learning he was not selected as the Apple Music halftime show performer for Super Bowl LIX. The big game will take place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Wayne’s hometown, on Feb. 9, 2025.
When the lights come up for the 15-minute show, Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar will become the man of the hour, marking his second time helming the stage on football’s biggest night.
Lamar, along with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent, made history with their game day concert in 2022 for Emmy-winning performance.
Hordes of the “A Milli” rapper’s fans were certain he was a shoo-in for the event. But in the wake of the major letdown, clips of his past anti-Black remarks from 2016 have resurfaced. “We ain’t forget. Cry me a river,” wrote a Twitter user who posted the old remarks.
“As a Wayne supporter I can’t lie this disappointed me when it came out,” said another.
The recirculated snippets are proof enough that Wayne being bypassed in favor of the “Not Like Us” emcee was the perfect call by the NFL, Apple Music, and Roc Nation — the latter company, founded by Jay-Z, has been curating the halftime show since entering a multi-year deal in 2019.
One of Wayne’s controversial moments is when he lamented that racism was nonexistent. He backed that ideology when he appeared on friend Skip Bayless’ and Shannon Sharpe’s now-defunct show “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.”
He said that his primarily white concert audiences “was clearly a message that there was no such thing as racism.” Wayne also claimed that he had “never dealt with racism” while contradicting his own beliefs, as he stated, “Not only did I thought it was over, I still believe that it’s over, but obviously it isn’t.”
Wayne literally told the world racism doesn't exist cause a white cop saved his life. Let him kneel during their precious "national anthem" and watch how fast his white supporters turn on him. Wayne always been out of touch with society. Guy has trouble remembering his own lyrics https://t.co/8HPGbqooF1
— Marquise Anderson (@MakDaRealist813) September 9, 2024
Despite his take on the conversation, which centered around Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling and social injustice, Wayne admitted he saw the Crescent City’s Black population being unfairly targeted by police, though in the end he declared his “nation…flag…protest” were his children.
In a second clip from a CBS interview, he spoke as if he did not understand the intent behind the Black Lives Matter movement that erupted in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. Wayne said “it just sounds weird” as drew a line of demarcation in the sand, lamenting that his wealthy “rich” status made those harsh realities.
He quipped, “If that don’t let you know that America understand Black f—king lives matter these days, I don’t know what it is. Don’t come at me with that dumb s—t, ma’am. My life matter, especially to my b—ches.”
He would go on to share, “I don’t feel connected to a d—n thing that ain’t go noting to do with me…I’m connected to this f—king flag right here,” he said as he pulled out a red bandanna, signifying his alliance with the Bloods street organization. “I’m a gang banger.”
The five-time Grammy Award winner later issued an apology, alleging that his brash behavior was a result of him being annoyed with a line of questioning about his daughter Reginae.
Among the reactions to the resurfaced clips, a critic tweeted, “Wayne always been out of touch with society.”
This probably mattered more to Jay Z tbh pic.twitter.com/3d4WqTVUaB
— 🔥HustleInstall🔥 (@HustleInstall) September 9, 2024
Four years ago, Wayne made his support for then-President Donald Trump known to the public. He used his status to back Trump’s campaign amid efforts to gain the Black vote with a set of ill-defined policy proposals it called the Platinum Plan and touted as meaningful initiatives for African-Americans. Just before leaving office, Trump pardoned the hip-hop star in a gun possession case that carried a potential federal prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Wayne is a convicted felon, stemming from a 2007 gun charge. His team argued that his support for Trump had nothing to do with the presidential grace shown to him afterward. His critics still doubt that to be true.
“We don’t even need to get into all that. Wayne is goat but his performance skills is not Super Bowl headliner worthy simple lol. jay z made the right move,” wrote one observer.
Conversely, Lamar has been applauded for his pro-Black lyrics and visuals. Displays supporting such flooded social media throughout his rap feud with Drake this summer.
