Lil Wayne Super Bowl Snub?
by James Kevin Stott
- Why Does This Seem Like a Snub to Lil Wayne?
- Who is Performing at Halftime For Super Bowl LIX?
- Has Lil Wayne Performed at Super Bowl Halftime?
- Is There a Chance Lil Wayne Will Make an Appearance?
- Who Have Been Notable Super Bowl Halftime Performers?
- Where and When is Super Bowl LIX?
- Where Can You Catch Lil Wayne in the Future?
- Where Can You Get Cheap Super Bowl LIX Tickets?
Thumbnail: Lil_Wayne_-_Beacon_Theatre by Ryan Dombal (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Why Does This Seem Like a Snub to Lil Wayne?
The NFL, Roc Nation, and Apple Music announced last week that rapper Kendrick Lamar would be performing at the 2025 Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in New Orleans after expectations for years that Lil Wayne might be the headliner for professional football’s biggest game.
Not having Lil Wayne—real name Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.—performing at halftime seems like a snub considering how talented, popular, and successful he has become over the years. And being a native of New Orleans, the sting seems even harsher.
With over 25 million albums sold worldwide, 13 studio albums—including Tha Carter III, Tha Carter IV, Tha Carter V, and I Am Not A Human Being II—90 million digital tracks in the US, and huge hits like Love Me, Go DJ, A Milli, Lollipop, and Let the Beat Build, the 41-year-old rapper has left his mark on the music industry and made his city proud.
And not getting the nod to headline the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, Lil Wayne, who was born and raised in New Orleans and put on the rap map by fellow Big Easy legend Birdman with Cash Money Records, couldn’t hide his emotions and went to Instagram to explain how much it hurt.
When asked earlier this year if he had heard about performing at the Super Bowl, Weezy said “We’re praying, we’re keeping our fingers crossed, and working hard … I just wanna make it hard for them not to highlight the boy.”
But the league decided to go with hot commodity Kendrick Lamar, and although it is not a foregone conclusion that we won’t be seeing Lil Wayne as a special guest for a song or two, the decision was obviously a blow to him.
“I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown and for just automatically, mentally putting myself in that position. So I blame myself for that, but I thought there was nothing better than that—that spot, on that stage, and that platform, in my city.” he said.
And who knows when the Big Game will return to Louisiana, or how old and motivated Lil Wayne may be by then? However, there will be no Lil Wayne Super Bowl 2025 halftime show with him as the headliner. The next two Super Bowls will be held in California.
Super Bowl LX will be held at Levi’s Stadium—home of the San Francisco 49ers—in Santa Clara on Sunday, February 8, 2026, with Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium—home of both the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams—in Inglewood on Sunday, February 14, 2027.
Who is Performing at Halftime For Super Bowl LIX?
Popular rapper and Grammy award-winner Kendrick Lamar was announced to headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, the second time he will be performing at the Super Bowl.
In a statement, Lamar said, "Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I'll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one."
NFL head of music Seth Dudowsky said, "Few artists have impacted music and culture as profoundly as Kendrick Lamar. Time and time again, Kendrick has proven his unique ability to craft moments that resonate, redefine, and ultimately shake the very foundation of hip-hop.”
Lamar, the winner of 17 Grammy Awards, performed at Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood in 2022 alongside Hip Hop heavyweights Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J. Blige where he sang his songs M.A.A.D. CITY and Alright.
With the 37-year-old Lamar being a product of Compton, California, and Lil Wayne hailing from New Orleans, it seems more logical to have President Carter as the halftime act this year, with Lamar getting the honors in his hometown in 2027. However, given that Lamar is currently more in the spotlight due to his seemingly never-ending beef with rapper Drake, perhaps the NFL leaned toward Lamar because of the buzz?
Has Lil Wayne Performed at Super Bowl Halftime?
Has Lil Wayne performed at the Super Bowl? No. And that’s what makes this decision a little weird, and many had assumed the league would look to the Louisiana legend with the game being played at the Caesars Superdome.
It seems like the NFL dropped the ball here with New Orleans being Carter’s hometown, the younger Lamar having just performed at the Super Bowl, and the next two NFL Championship games being played in Lamar’s native California.
Lil Wayne has always been a huge sports fan and has written for ESPN, including a blog for ESPN The Magazine. Carter claims fandom to the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, the NHL’s Boston Bruins, MLB’s Boston Red Sox, and the NFL’s Green Bay Packers.
Lil Wayne even wrote a song spoofing Wiz Khalifa’s Black and Yellow when his Packers reached Super Bowl XLV, titled Green and Yellow.
Is There a Chance Lil Wayne Will Make an Appearance?
A Lil Wayne Super Bowl Halftime appearance is not out of the question and seeing him as a special guest with Kendrick Lamar makes sense on a number of levels.
In a recently released conversation from the GOAT Talk podcast with Boston Celtics star and new recording artist Jaylen Brown on September 25, FERG, formerly ASAP Ferg, Brown opined that the Super Bowl selection was wrong for not having Lil Wayne as the headliner or on the bill.
“I think they missed the mark by not including Lil Wayne,” NBA champion Brown said.
But FERG is pretty confident we will see Lil Wayne at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show.
“Knowing Kendrick, he’s definitely going to bring Wayne out. He has to. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise. Mark my words—Wayne’s coming,” FERG said on the podcast.
Who Have Been Notable Super Bowl Halftime Performers?
With a record number of viewers tuning in, the halftime show at the NFL Championship Game—aka the Super Bowl—is the perfect musical showcase. And with a record 123 million tuning into the 2024 Super Bowl, we can expect another massive TV audience via all platforms in 2025.
Last year it was Usher who headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, while Rihanna had the honor in 2023 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and in 2021, it was The Weeknd at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
The Super Bowl Halftime Show has featured a number of musical legends through the years, including Beyoncé (2013), Lady Gaga, (2017), Justin Timberlake (2018), Bruno Mars (2014), Madonna (2012), Katy Perry (2015), Coldplay (2016), The Who (2010), U2 (2002), and probably the greatest Super Bowl Halftime show ever, in 2007 by Prince.
Where and When is Super Bowl LIX?
This season, Super Bowl LIX (59) will be held at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday, February 9, 2025, The game between the AFC champions and the NFC champions will be televised on FOX and FOX Deportes(Spanish), streams on NFL+, and will air on Westwood One on the radio in the US.
It will be the eighth time the Super Bowl will have been played at the Superdome and the 11th contest in the city of New Orleans.
Where Can You Catch Lil Wayne in the Future?
If you want to see Lil Wayne live, he will be performing some shows on October 11, at the MVP Arena in Albany, NY, on October 12 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, and on October 16 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
On October 17, Lil Wayne will be at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio with Saweetie and The Kid Laroi, and on October 19 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You can find tickets as low as $76.50 here at TicketX.
And a week before the Super Bowl on Saturday, February 1, Lil Wayne will be at the Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, California where you can currently buy tickets for as low as $60.35.
Where Can You Get Cheap Super Bowl LIX Tickets?
You can find cheap Super Bowl LIX Tickets here at TicketX where a ticket not only means entry into the Big Game, but also a chance to see Kendrick Lamar—and possibly a Lil Wayne Super Bowl Halftime appearance—at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9. Any first-time buyers can use this special promo code and get an additional 10% off their Super Bowl ticket purchase.
About TicketX
TicketX is America's newest secondary ticket market, which debuted in July 2023. TicketX's mission is to provide the best ticket-selling and ticket-buying experience for American users. Thanks to our solid foundation built by TicketJam, the largest secondary ticket marketplace in Asia, TicketX promises to bring long-term support as well as world-class customer experience to the American audience. By leveraging the expertise and success of TicketJam as well as its Magazine, TicketX is poised to set new standards and redefine expectations in the dynamic world of resale ticket markets within America.
