Nicki Minaj has joined the 20 v 1 against Jay-Z after he awarded the New Orleans-hosted Super Bowl LIX halftime honors to Kendrick Lamar instead of Lil Wayne ... and Queen Barb is spewing all sorts of ether in his direction!!!
via: Forbes
California rapper Lamar—who had a public feud with rapper Drake earlier this year—was selected as the halftime performer for Super Bowl LIX taking place in New Orleans in February, causing several artists to suggest New Orleans native Lil Wayne should have been the pick.
Some people blamed Jay-Z, who advises the NFL on entertainment, for the alleged snub: “The Super Bowl in New Orleans and they let Lamar perform over Lil Wayne…. Jay Z a legendary hater for that,” podcaster and internet personality DJ Akademiks said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
During the Monday episode of his podcast, rapper Cam’ron hinted at a beef between Jay-Z and Lil Wayne—who signed Drake to his record label Young Money Entertainment in 2009—as the reason for Lamar’s selection: “Lil Wayne had a problem with somebody before who’s kind of part of the organization running [the Super Bowl]—this is payback. Who’s Lil Wayne’s artist? Drake,” Cam’ron said.
Jay-Z’s long-running feud with the rapper Birdman may have something to do with the decision, according to Nicki Minaj; Jay-Z and Birdman have had a public feud since 2009, when Birdman, who signed Lil Wayne to his label in 1998, said Lil Wayne was a better rapper than Jay-Z.
While Jay-Z and Lil Wayne have exchanged jabs over the years, the pair seemingly made up after Lil Wayne signed on as co-owner of the New York rapper’s music platform Tidal in 2015 before a majority stake was sold to Jack Dorsey’s Block in 2022.
Minaj has her own history with Jay-Z’s camp: earlier this year, amid her beef with Megan Thee Stallion, Minaj publicly called out Desiree Perez, the CEO of Jay-Z’s agency Roc Nation, which has a management deal with Megan, with Minaj threatening to expose Perez for allegedly firing people for “unknown reasons” in an attempt to reportedly replace Minaj as the pinnacle of women’s rap with Megan Thee Stallion.
Forbes has reached out to Roc Nation, Lil Wayne, Lamar and the NFL for comment.
Fellow New Orleans rapper and newly named entertainment ambassador of the city Master P said in an Instagram post Sunday that although Lamar “well deserved” the role, he believes Lil Wayne should be a part of the “celebration” too because “he’s one of the greatest [hip hop] artists alive, still relevant and he’s a New Orleans native.”
“Salute to @kendricklamar for performing at the halftime show at Super Bowl LIX.. well deserved, he’s one of the hottest music artists in the world and has one of the biggest songs right now,” he began. “As Ambassador of Entertainment in the City of New Orleans I have to agree with the fans that @liltunechi #LilWayne should be a part of this celebration as well.
“He’s one of the greatest Hop Hop artists alive, still relevant and he’s a New Orleans native. Let’s not miss this cultural moment in the South. Life is too short! We have to give our legends their flowers while they are here. @masterpmasterclass #Godisgood Change starts with us. @nfl @jayz @mayorcantrell”
Cam’ron also praised Lamar during his podcast episode but went on to criticize the selection, saying “it’s in New Orleans, and you don’t get Lil Wayne…there's no reason why Lil Wayne should not be performing at the Super Bowl.”
Others have pointed out Louisiana artists should’ve been picked because Super Bowl LVI was held in California, and California artists like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Lamar were picked as the halftime performers that year. “ALL YALL ACTING LIKE YALL COOL WITH HOW THEY PLAYING IT FOR THE SUPERBOWL SMH THE MOST CULTURAL CITY N THE USA( NEW ORLÉANS) ITS A SMACK N THE FACE TO EVERY HIP HOP LEGEND FROM LOUISIANA,” Boosie Badazz, a rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said in a post on X, before noting the choice of California artists for Super Bowl LVI.
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