Kendrick Lamar landing the coveted Super Bowl halftime show felt like the final nail in the coffin to his much-publicized feud with Drake, but some might wonder after this weekend if he has another high-profile rap beef on the horizon. Ahead of the "Not Like Us" rapper's New Orleans performance in February, Louisiana native Lil' Wayne had to speak his piece about having the opportunity to perform in his city "ripped away" from him.
Wayne performed over the weekend in New Orleans as part of the Lil' Weezyana Fest. The performance was live-streamed over on Amazon Music, so when the rapper directly referenced the fact he was overlooked as an artist to headline the Super Bowl, word traveled pretty fast. The comments came in the midst of him talking about his past Super Bowl trips, specifically when he watched the Saints win against the Indianapolis Colts (via @big_business_). As he put it:
When the first Super Bowl was here I made sure I bought tickets at the beginning of the season. I did the same when I moved to Miami, and I was wishing my team made it again...That moment, I told myself, 'I want to be onstage at the Super Bowl one day in front of my mom.' And I worked my ass off to get in that fucking position. It was ripped away from me. But this motherfucking moment right here? They can’t take [this] man.
Weezy F received a roar of approval from the crowd, which was expected at a festival centered around him in his hometown. If there was ever a time to speak out about being snubbed from the Super Bowl, this was it. I don't imagine it'll convince anyone in the NFL to flip the script on Kendrick Lamar and give Lil' Wayne the bid instead, but who knows for sure?
Perhaps the most valuable outcome would be for NFL execs to be fully clear on why Lil' Wayne was so upset to lose out on the Super Bowl bid in general, and that it wasn't just about losing out to Kendrick Lamar. Wayne has been a good friend of Drake for decades thanks to their being part of the Young Money rap label, but while some might've thought Wayne's initial frustration indicated the rap feud between Kendrick and Drake reached a new level, this was more about Tha Carter rapper feeling personally slighted.
Readers should remember, however, that Lil' Wayne's love for sports runs deep. Years ago, he thought about jumping into sports announcing and retiring from music, and up until Skip Bayless' retirement from Undisputed, he appeared on there from time to time as a guest. Those who follow Wayne likely knew it was never about Kendrick Lamar, though I'm not discounting the possibility it could become that as the months drag on.
Lil Wayne and Kendrick Lamar have collaborated on a song together called "Mona Lisa," so there is a possibility he'll get to be on stage even if he isn't headlining the whole performance. It all depends on Lamar's setlist, and if he listens to Usher's advice about playing the hits.
If he is offered the opportunity to perform, one has to wonder how Lil Wayne would respond. After publicly stating how important it was to perform, one can't help but think it could jeopardize his friendship with Drake to be onstage as the world sees Kendrick Lamar play "Not Like Us." Lamar performance period has to be a nightmare for the successful rapper, but to have a friend onstage as well would be salt in the wound.
The Super Bowl isn't until Sunday, February 9th, so there's plenty of time to see what may develop between Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, and any other household-name rapper of the past two decades. I'm just hoping we get a great halftime show, though I'm not too worried with Lamar headlining.