Nicki Minaj has criticized JAY-Z for choosing Kendrick Lamar to headline the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, arguing that the honor should have gone to Lil Wayne, as the game will be played in his hometown of New Orleans.
“Denying a young black man what he rightfully put into this game for no other reason but your ego,” Minaj wrote. “Your hatred for BIRDMAN, Drake & Nicki got you punishing Lil Wayne?!?!!! LIL WAYNE!!!!!!!!!! THE GOAT?!!!!!!!!!!! Nola what’s good?!!!!!!”
In another post, Minaj wrote, “God forbid if Wayne was to leave this earth right now, the culture would be in mourning. That’s why so many ppl keep saying to give our legends their flowers while they are still around to smell them. Sitting around all day playing games with ppl life & legacy.”
Several other associates of Lil Wayne, including Birdman, Master P, Cam’ron, and Mase, also called out JAY-Z over his decision to book Lamar. Like Minaj, Birdman and Mase suggested, without evidence, that JAY-Z had passed over Lil Wayne due to a feud with Drake.
For his part, Wayne expressed his desire to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show in an interview earlier this year. “I will not lie to you, I have not got a call,” Wayne said during an appearance on YG’s 4HUNNID podcast. “But we all praying, we keeping our fingers crossed. I’m working hard. I’m going to make sure this next album and everything I do is killer, so I’m going make it very hard for them to…I want to just make it hard for them not to highlight the boy.”
JAY-Z has curated the Super Bowl Halftime Show since 2020. Notably, aside from Dr. Dre’s 2022 performance at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the show hasn’t typically featured a hometown performer. There’s also no reason Wayne couldn’t appear as a special guest during Lamar’s set.
Denying a young black man what he rightfully put into this game for no other reason but your ego. Your hatred for BIRDMAN, Drake & Nicki got you punishing Lil Wayne?!?!!! LIL WAYNE!!!!!!!!!! THE GOAT?!!!!!!!!!!! Nola what’s good?!!!!!! Eminem stood firm on having 50Cent come out.…
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 9, 2024
God forbid if Wayne was to leave this earth right now, the culture would be in mourning. That’s why so many ppl keep saying to give our legends their flowers while they are still around to smell them. Sitting around all day playing games with ppl life & legacy. God ain’t sleep.…
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 9, 2024
God will punish you. Mark my words.
The man that has not only pushed his pen the hardest, but gave the game more than 1 hip hop ICON as well on his watch? Represent the RAP game?!?!! The best RAPPER don’t represent the RAP GAME well enough 4u? Black ppl. Wow. If this don’t hurt…— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 9, 2024
