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While football fans will have to wait a few more months to know which teams will battle it out in Super Bowl 59, we now know who will be headlining the halftime show. Ahead of the 2024 NFL season, the NFL and Apple Music announced that Kendrick Lamar will take center stage at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome on February 9, 2025.
Was Lil Wayne snubbed from Super Bowl 59 halftime show?
The choice of Lamar has sparked some debate, particularly because of his Los Angeles roots. Many fans and music insiders feel that a New Orleans artist, specifically Lil Wayne, would have been the perfect fit for a Super Bowl in his hometown. Lil Wayne, one of the city’s biggest stars, has been representing New Orleans since his rise to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the Hot Boys. Over the decades, his legendary solo career has earned him five Grammy Awards and countless accolades. With such deep ties to the city’s culture, some feel Wayne deserved the Super Bowl spotlight.
In response to Kendrick Lamar’s selection, fans and prominent figures voiced their disappointment on social media. One notable voice was New Orleans legend Percy “Master P” Miller, who took to Instagram to support the idea of Lil Wayne being part of the celebration. As the city’s ambassador of entertainment, appointed by Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Miller expressed that Lil Wayne’s cultural influence should not be overlooked, stating, “He’s one of the greatest Hip Hop artists alive, still relevant, and he’s a New Orleans native.”
Although neither Lil Wayne nor Cash Money Records have issued a formal response, his longtime mixing engineer, Fabian Marasciullo, shared his reaction on Instagram. He expressed confusion and disappointment but also vowed to never leave Wayne in a position where decisions are out of his control.
While some fans argue that Wayne’s age and the fact that he has admitted to forgetting lyrics to some of his hits might be factors, many feel that he could still have been part of a larger tribute to New Orleans’ rich musical history. This could have featured not only Wayne but other iconic figures from the city, such as Juvenile, Turk, B.G., Mannie Fresh, and Birdman.
There’s still hope, however. Given Kendrick Lamar’s past collaborations with Wayne and nods to New Orleans in his music, it’s possible that the halftime show could include a tribute to the city’s musical legacy. Fans will be eager to see if Lil Wayne or other local legends might still play a role in the performance.