Kendrick Lamar Addresses Lil Wayne’s Disappointment over Super Bowl Halftime Show in New GNX Song Lyrics

Lamar expressed feeling as though he “let Lil Wayne down” by booking the Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner slot for 2025 in New Orleans

Kendrick Lamar in May 2023; Lil Wayne in October 2018. Photo: Arturo Holmes/MG23/Getty; Paras Griffin/Getty

Kendrick Lamar heard about Lil Wayne’s thoughts on his headlining slot at the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime show.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper, 37, surprise released his sixth album, GNX, on Nov. 22. In the lyrics of opening track “wacced out murals,” Lamar addressed Wayne’s disappointment over not being chosen to perform during the upcoming Super Bowl at the Caesars Superdome in the “A Milli” emcee’s New Orleans hometown.

“Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud / Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down / Whatever though, call me crazy, everybody questionable / Turn me to an esk—, I drew the line and decimals,” raps Lamar in the second verse.

Other lyrics find the “Humble” artist seemingly nodding to his high-profile feud with Drake and how many fellow hip-hop figures felt the need to pick sides, leading him to feel an overall lack of support within the genre upon landing the Super Bowl gig.

“Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulated me / All these n—-s agitated, I’m just glad they showin’ they faces,” added Lamar on the track.

Lamar was announced as the 2025 Super Bowl headliner on Sept. 7, and Wayne shared his thoughts in an Instagram video less than a week later. “First of all, I wanna say forgive me for the delay,” he began.

“I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking. I’mma say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all the love and the support out there. Your words turned into arms and held me up when I tried to fall back,” said the “6 Foot 7 Foot” performer.

Wayne expressed feeling “hurt” when he saw the announcement of Lamar headlining the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. “I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown and for automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position,” he continued.

The Young Money Entertainment founder added, “But I thought there was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt.”

Lil Wayne in September 2023.Ethan Miller/Getty

He then shifted focus to his “f—ing amazing” fans. “It made me feel like s— not getting this opportunity, and when I felt like s—, you guys reminded me that I ain’t s— without y’all, and that’s an amazing reality,” said Wayne.

“Like I said, it broke me, and I’m just trying to put me back together, but my God, have you all helped me,” he told fans. “Thanks to all of my peers, my friends, my family, my homies on the sports television and everybody repping me. I really appreciate that, I really do. I feel like I let all of y’all down by not getting that opportunity, but I’m working on me, and I’m working, so thank you.”