Desiree Perez, CEO of Roc Nation, is explaining the decision behind selecting Kendrick Lamar as the headliner for the Super Bowl Halftime show. She dismissed suggestions that the choice was intended to undermine Lil Wayne, emphasizing that it was more about reflecting
“the pulse of the times.”
In a recent interview with NOLA.com, she elaborated on the reasons for choosing Lamar, despite his lack of ties to New Orleans. She told the outlet,
“New Orleans is so rich in culture. We have to take into consideration (that) whoever is going to perform can speak to music culture, regardless of age. It has to nod to real music, regardless of the genre. And Kendrick does that. Kendrick’s richness and culture is really a nod to New Orleans.”
Perez noted that Lil Wayne was indeed considered for the role. She even expressed compassion for the legendary New Orleans rapper when she found out he was disheartened by not being selected.
“Aww…I actually didn’t know he had said that. We love that everybody wants to be on the stage, that we’ve completely changed the conversation to fighting for it versus boycotting. We’ve come a long way.”
Wayne also revealed in a December interview that he spoke to Kendrick Lamar and resolved any issues that existed between them.
“I’ve spoken to him and I wished him all the best and told him he better kill it. He gotta kill it,”
he said.
According to Perez, the Super Bowl made a lot of changes since Roc Nation joined forces with the NFL. She pointed out that a shift happened after the 2019 Super Bowl in Atlanta.
“The goal was to get the halftime show to be something that artists are excited to perform at,”
she said.
“How do we make this about the music and the moment, and not about everything else that’s going on around it.”
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez Says Kendrick Lamar is ‘Right Person’ for Super Bowl Slot https://t.co/DogV5vOPwe
Lil Wayne is willing to put the past behind and support Kendrick Lamar. The rapper revealed his intentions to embrace the Super Bowl snub and stay friends with Lamar instead. Lil Wayne hoped to perform at the 2025 Super Bowl. Though that didn’t happen, he disclosed that he spoke with Kendrick Lamar and asked him to give his best performance.
Lil Wayne Speaks With Kendrick Lamar About Super Bowl
Rapper Lil Wayne has contacted Kendrick Lamar despite being snubbed for the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime show. The artist revealed this during a December 19 interview with Skip Bayless on his Skip Bayless Show. Wayne shared that although he was still hurt at being passed over for performing at his native New Orleans, he wished Lamar the best. He also disclosed that he talked to Kendrick Lamar and asked him to “kill” his Super Bowl performance.
“I’ve spoken to him, and I wish him all the best,” Wayne said.
“I told him he better kill it,” he shared, while Bayless maintained he was “baffled and angry” that Wayne would not perform on his hometown’s biggest stage. However, his guest admitted that he doesn’t know why he was ignored but believes Lamar is a “perfect” choice. Meanwhile, when Bayless read the lyrics of Lamar’s wacced out murals. Lamar rapped, “I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down.“ However, Lil Wayne said he had never heard the lyrics and opined that Lamar cared and that he “better kill it.”
Lil Wayne Wants to Be Better
Lil Wayne also expressed how being snubbed in favor of Kendrick Lamar for the 2025 Super Bowl pushed him to improve. He confessed that he self-evaluated after he heard the news. Hence, he told himself, “You ain’t there, you gotta get there.” The Lollipop rapper shared his feelings with his management team and trustworthy people. He said:
“I want to get to the point where I’m undeniable. I want them to walk in there and have 10 other choices and whoever’s in charge says, ‘no, you have to go with him!’”
Meanwhile, Bayless spoke about how it didn’t “make sense” to him that the game would be held at the Caesars Superdome in the Big Easy, and the Mirror rapper was not selected.
“It just makes no sense to me. I don’t get it… I don’t know,” Bayless said.
However, Wayne was realistic about how he couldn’t control it. He was also honest about still feeling lost about the ordeal. When Bayless asked him if he felt better than when he first heard the news, Wayne said he was not.
Lil Wayne Cried About the Super Bowl Snub
Lil Wayne’s admission is coming a few months after he broke down publicly for not being selected to headline the Super Bowl. On September 13, he posted a video on Instagram. In the clip, he said that hearing Kendrick Lamar would headline the Super Bowl in his hometown instead “broke” him.
“First of all, I want to say forgive me for the delay. I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking,” he said somberly. “That hurt. It hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about. It hurt a whole lot.”
The iconic rapper blamed himself for keeping his hopes up. He added that he thought nothing would beat performing at the biggest spot in his city. He also thanked his fans, friends, and all who had his back.
“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 all of y’all down by not getting that opportunity, but I’m working on me and I’m working. So thank you,” he said.
Lil Wayne speaking with and congratulating Kendrick Lamar on getting to headline the Super Bowl is admirable and courageous. Although a collaboration is impossible because of logistics, he will hopefully get a chance to shine on the big stage as he hoped.
#Clique, what do you think about Lil Wayne speaking to Kendrick Lamar about his Super Bowl Halftime show? Let us know in the comments.
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show will go down in 2025 in New Orleans. Although the anticipated performance is still months away, some controversy has already begun brewing. The cause? The ongoing beef between Lamar and Drake. Recall that both rappers haven’t been on good terms for a while, going as far as releasing diss tracks about each other. Recently, rapper Wack 100 took things to new heights when he accused Drake of planning to sabotage Lamar’s upcoming Super Bowl performance.
The Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Wack 100 Drama
On Sunday, Wack 100 made the headlines when he made a shocking claim about Drake. During a streaming session, the music manager alleged that Drake was using legal means to try to interrupt Kendrick Lamar’s upcoming Super Bowl Performance. The rapper boldly claimed per HipHopDX:
“He’s trying to get the NFL to restrict Kendrick.”
Wack 100 further claimed that Drake issued a cease and desist to Lamar over the diss track Not Like Us. According to Wack 100, the move was to prevent the 37-year-old from performing the track at the show. However, the rapper revealed Drake’s alleged plan would not hold up due to Jay-Z’s involvement with the NFL. He said:
“As long as Jay-Z got something to do with it, it ain’t.”
NFL Announces Kendrick Lamar as 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show Headliner
Wack 100’s claims came over a few weeks after the NFL announced Lamar would headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 9, 2025. While the big announcement left fans excited, it sparked a debate online. Many believed Lamar was firing more shots at Drake, all thanks to the announcement video. The clip showed Lamar standing before an American flag on a football pitch, firing off passes to an unseen receiver. 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.”
Besides the Drake and Lamar drama, some fans argued that Lil Wayne should have headlined the show instead. According to them, it was only right given that the Super Bowl would happen in Lil Wayne’s hometown. Many rappers agreed, sharing their opinions about the NFL choosing Larmar. Drake was not left out! Taking to his Instagram stories on September 10, the 6 God showed support by sharing several throwback pictures of Lil Wayne. He posted a picture of Lil Wayne from his iconic “A Milli” video and photos of young Wayne holding a flip phone and gambling.
A few days later, Nicki Minaj joined in the online debate. In an explosive social media rant, the rapper criticized Jay-Z, who has helped organize the halftime show since 2020. Nicki Minaj codedly accused the Roc Nation boss of denying Lil Wayne a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity due to personal grievances. According to Nicki Minaj, Jay Z’s ego and dislike for her, Drake, and Birdman were the reasons for his actions. Meanwhile, Lil Wayne and Kendrick Lamar have not publicly shared their opinions on the controversy. In the meantime, fans are counting down the weeks to Lamar’s performance. There are still hopes that Lil Wayne could appear as a special guest.
#Clique, what do you think of Wack 100’s Claims? Are you excited about the countdown to Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime show? Let us know!
Drake and Nicki Minaj have exciting news for their fans. The talented duo is teaming up once again for a new collaboration, which will be featured on Drake’s upcoming album, For All the Dogs.
The announcement came straight from Drake himself during a tour stop in Detroit, where he expressed his admiration for Minaj and the song they worked on together. The crowd erupted with applause at the news.
Minaj also took to Twitter to confirm the collaboration, sharing an old photo of her and Drake and using the hashtag #Dricki to symbolize their musical fusion. This collaboration follows their previous joint release, Seeing Green, featuring Lil Wayne, which was part of Minaj’s 2021 mixtape re-release, Beam Me Up Scotty.
Drake Confirms New Collaboration With Nicki Minaj: ‘I Got a Lot of Love for Her’ https://t.co/ReRuRFe2kz
Nicki Minaj discussed the creation of her own label, the reason she chose to do it, and the way in which she went about it. During a discussion with Onsite’s CEO Rah Ali, and Milagro Gramz, the Red Ruby Da Sleeze rapper revealed that she’s serious about her artists and was only interested in starting a label when she had the time to give them the high level of attention that they deserve.
The rapper said,
“People have been asking me for years, start your own label, can you sign me. I’ve always have said the same thing for everybody.”
Minaj continued,
“Until I know that I’m ready to focus and really push people to the superstardom that would make me feel good, until I can do that, I’m not going to waste anybody’s time and just have them signed for the sake of a check, and have somebody’s life and dreams just sitting there.”
“I have to be ready to focus on them, and to help make their dreams come true,”
she added.
The Queens rapper reflected on her time coming up in the industry with Lil Wayne revealing that he took her career serious so it’s only fair if she did the same thing for her artists.
She later announced that she plans on releasing the name of her label soon.
