"Is there a more important city traditionally in American culinary history, a more vibrant, diverse, and influential? Probably not,” the late Anthony Bourdain once described the city of New Orleans, home of the Saints, jazz music, and the birthplace of Dwayne Michael Carter II, the rapper we’ve grown to love as Lil Wayne. For about three decades, Weezy F. Baby has been an anchor in hip-hop’s 51-year history, an artist with deep roots in his city’s contributions to music as a whole. There isn’t another artist alive who could replicate his creativity, quirkiness, thought, or flow patterns, but many have tried. Even those who attempted to keep up found themselves getting outrapped on their own song or outperformed on their own beat. As he said in a Super Bowl interview in 2002: “I been went platinum, just not off records.” For an artist to be as revered lyrically as he is commercially (Tha Carter III is among a handful of hip-hop albums to ever move one million units in the first week), and with the longevity he has, Wayne’s impact across the world can be felt, even when it’s not always acknowledged.
Hence why Kendrick Lamar’s announcement as the Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner in New Orleans is less shocking than it is disappointing. Wayne has expressed a desire to perform at the Super Bowl throughout the past year, and it only made sense considering how Jay-Z and Roc Nation have not only uplifted hip-hop but emphasized the importance of regional culture, as we’ve seen with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. Wayne is NOLA’s flagship artist, one of the most celebrated musical talents of all time whose reflected his hometown through the damage of Katrina and uplifted its talents through his Lil Weezyana Festival. His absence from the Super Bowl stage is a missed opportunity, but, frankly, it should’ve been expected since Usher took the stage.
For anyone who has expressed their grievances over the situation, we must ask a critical question: what has Lil Wayne done in the past year to warrant a Super Bowl Halftime Show? If we take a glance at each artist who performed during the Halftime Show under Jay-Z’s tutelage, there was a build-up of momentum to that performance. Usher became the star of Las Vegas, thanks to his world-class residency; The Weeknd emerged triumphant post-pandemic. Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre brought hometown pride to Los Angeles in the same year that they celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Chronic while curating an intergenerational performance that included Eminem, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar.
All of that to say: Lil Wayne simply hasn’t done enough in the past year. According to Brian Zisook, the co-founder of Audiomack, it’s the Super Bowl, Apple Music, and its sponsors who look at eight categories when selecting the Halftime Show performer: availability, superstar status, popularity, global impact, reach, live performance, a catalog of hits to fill 12-15 minutes, and new music on the horizon.
It’s been over two years since Lil Wayne launched a countdown for Tha Carter VI and, as of now, we haven’t received a promising single that indicates that it’s officially on the way. Not to mention, Lil Wayne hasn’t really toured any major stadiums or arenas as of late with the exception of his brief stint with Drake earlier this year. In 2023, he embarked on the Welcome To The Carter Tour, where he played in smaller, more intimate venues. And if we look at sales, the last three projects he was involved in, Trust Fund Babies with Rich The Kid, Tha Fix Before Tha VI, and Welcome 2 Collegrove with 2 Chainz all failed to move more than 34,000 in their first week. Let me be clear: first week sales do not mean anything but Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III remains one of five albums to have ever moved one million units in the first week. Wayne’s best work recently has been the features run he’s been on. Simply based on statistics, which presumably is the only aspect that the NFL’s corporate office is interested in, Wayne’s pull in 2024 isn’t as strong as it once was before his issues with Birdman put his career on ice for a few years.
Lil Wayne encompasses most of the qualities that Zisook laid out, just not all of them. His superstar status is undeniable, but is the global appreciation for him on par with his legacy in America? His performances are often subpar. Let’s not forget that this is the same guy who needs a teleprompter while on stage because he’s recorded more music than he’s capable of remembering. And perhaps, there also needs to be some sort of reckoning of who Lil Wayne is and his appeal. The controversies that have riddled the recent years of his career, from his stance on BLM to endorsing Donald Trump in 2020, could have opened a can of worms that would overshadow the prestige of the Halftime show right before one of the most important presidential elections in history that could very well result in the first Woman of Color being elected into the Oval Office. Part of Roc Nation's partnership with the NFL is to "amplify the league's social justice efforts." Plus, do we really think that Wayne will be able to get through a 12-15 minute setlist of his greatest hits without mentioning cunnilingus... on the biggest stage in America? None of this is to downplay why Lil Wayne deserved the spot as a legend and an ambassador of New Orleans but rather, food for thought as to the possible reasons he may have been overlooked in the eyes of the NFL. Wayne’s lack of filter and awareness of his surroundings has been a gift and a curse to his public persona.
On the surface, the optics of Kendrick Lamar headlining the Super Bowl in New Orleans seem just plain petty. However, it makes sense within the criteria of what the NFL expects. Kendrick Lamar made the most out of a few months. “Not Like Us” remains in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and basically held down the third spot on the chart for the majority of the summer. Then, there’s the Pop Out, which, in retrospect, feels like the predecessor to his Super Bowl announcement. Tickets sold out almost immediately; Dot brought out the entirety of Los Angeles and has the most minutes watched of any Amazon Music production on Twitch and Prime platforms. On the heels of a historic beef, Kendrick Lamar emerged triumphant in numbers and content, and this Super Bowl performance is the paper bag of dog sh*t burning on Drake’s porch. There’s no way Drake could stomp it out without stepping in sh*t himself.
“Not Like Us” is ultimately rooted in Patriotism, and there’s nothing more American than football. While it served as a nail-in-the-coffin offering during a heated week-long battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar that turned into a U.S. vs. Canada debate, it clearly forced everyone within hip-hop (and outside of it) to pick a side. At this point, the internet has run with the theory that Jay-Z’s alleged issues with Drake, Lil Wayne, Birdman, and Nicki Minaj helped Kendrick Lamar make history as the first solo rapper to headline the Super Bowl, but we can’t really be certain if that’s the case. We could unpack the web of connections between these artists for days and likely wouldn’t land on a concrete theory as to why Weezy was snubbed this year. However, the situation, as a whole, could be a predicament for Lil Wayne, whose loyalty to Drake has been in question recently after Wayne wore an XO chain in the music video for Jon Baptiste's "Uneasy." Considering that Kendrick Lamar will probably bring out a guest on stage, would he extend an invite to the GOAT? And if so, would Lil Wayne sacrifice his allegiance to Drake for hometown pride? Regardless of the outcome, the Super Bowl already kicked off the type of discourse they would’ve wanted in the first place.