super bowl halftime show

Nicki Minaj Has Last Laugh After Super Bowl Producer Confirms JAY-Z Picked Kendrick Lamar

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Nicki Minaj shared an interview between Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show producer Jesse Collins and Variety, on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. In the piece, Collins confirms that the choice of headliner ultimately comes down to JAY-Z. The legendary rapper’s decision to go with Kendrick Lamar over Lil Wayne has been controversial due to the game being held in New Orleans.

“It’s a decision that Jay makes,” Collins told Variety. “Since we’ve been on board with that show, he’s made it every year, and it’s been amazing. He’s always picked right!” In response, Minaj posted a laughing emoji. She had called JAY-Z out on X in defense of her longtime collaborator, Lil Wayne.

Read More: Nicki Minaj Goes Off On Reporter For Allegedly Smelling Like “French Fries” And “Hot ASS”

Nicki Minaj Performs During Pink Friday 2 World Tour

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: (Exclusive Coverage) Nicki Minaj performs onstage during her Pink Friday 2 World Tour – New York at Madison Square Garden on September 07, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Live Nation)

“Denying a young black man what he rightfully put into this game for no other reason but your ego,” Minaj wrote on X, earlier this month. “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. A white man. S*** sad. House N***** TINGZ. but it’s GOOD FI DEM!!!!!!! No loyalty? Welp. then n***** will keep son’ing you!!!!!”

Nicki Minaj Responds To Jesse Collins’ “Variety” Interview

As for not choosing Lil Wayne, Collins said: “We love Wayne. There’s always Vegas odds on who’s going to get to perform it. But I think we’re going to do an amazing show with Kendrick, and I think everybody’s going to love the halftime show. I know Kendrick is going to work exceptionally hard to deliver an amazing show.” Check out Minaj’s reaction to the interview below. Be on the lookout for further updates on Nicki Minaj on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Nicki Minaj Makes Fan’s Day After Disappointing Meet-And-Greet Experience

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Nicki Minaj Responds To Super Bowl Halftime Show Producer’s Claim That Jay-Z Picks The Artist

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Nicki Minaj has arguably been Lil Wayne’s strongest defender amid the Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl halftime show controversy. She blasted Jay-Z for the supposedly hate-fueled decision to not appoint Lil Wayne for the New Orleans stage next year. All of these details and many more are still unclear. But we got a new claim to add to these contradictions. Jesse Collins, a producer for the spectacle since 2021, recently claimed that Hov is the one who has final say in what artists perform, and that the show is largely of his own design.

“It’s a decision that Jay makes,” Jesse Collins said of the Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Kendrick Lamar controversy. “Since we’ve been on board with that show, he’s made it every year, and it’s been amazing. He’s always picked right!” Nicki Minaj reacted to this by replying to a report on the matter with a laughing emoji on Twitter. Even though we don’t know what she’s exactly laughing at here, we can make a pretty obvious assumption that she still blames him at least partially for what went down.

Read More: Nicki Minaj Goes Off On Reporter For Allegedly Smelling Like “French Fries” And “Hot A**”

Nicki Minaj Laughs At Jay-Z Allegedly Picking Super Bowl Halftime Show Performers

 
 
 
 
 
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Also, Nicki Minaj’s disdain for Jay-Z extends to other business dealings, primarily how she allegedly never saw a dime for partnering with his TIDAL streaming service. This is all a bit tragic but also unsurprising to see given the very complicated relationship between Young Money and the Roc, which extends to the rest of the rap world. Regardless of where you fall on that Super Bowl debate, seeing the late 2000s and early 2010s implode among itself in 2024 has been one of the most significant rap moments of the year.

“This too, shall pass,” Nicki Minaj penned to Lil Wayne. “But what you have done for the hip-hop culture will remain. It will stand the TEST of time. Many times our greatest & most dehumanizing test is just a way for God to get the glory. You were simply used in a war of egos. To ppl who are empty inside, all they have is their temporary power.” We’ll see how this ends…

Read More: Nicki Minaj Announces “Pink Friday 3” After Last-Minute Scrapping Of Deluxe

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Super Bowl Halftime Show Producer Claims Jay-Z Chooses The Artists Amid Kendrick Lamar & Lil Wayne Debacle

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The Super Bowl LIX halftime show in New Orleans next year on February 9 quickly became one of the hottest hip-hop debates of the year. Moreover, we’re sure you already have your take on Kendrick Lamar getting the headlining slot, and on Lil Wayne missing out on it despite NOLA being his home city. What none of us really know is what the actual process for this looked like. Some fans believe that Jay-Z, who works with the NFL for entertainment endeavors, made the final decision, whereas other reports indicate that it’s not so simple. But as if we needed more contradicting narratives and claims, we now have a new one to unpack.

Jesse Collins, an executive producer for the Super Bowl halftime show since 2021, recently dropped a bombshell claim in his recent Variety interview. “It’s a decision that Jay makes,” he said of the selection process. “Since we’ve been on board with that show, he’s made it every year, and it’s been amazing. He’s always picked right!” While this is a pretty literal statement, it’s impossible to know for sure whether Collins is really talking about a one-sided decision. After all, it could just be a general answer.

Read More: Jay-Z Celebrates Grand Opening Of Fanatics Sportsbook As Super Bowl Backlash Continues

Jay-Z Allegedly Picks The Super Bowl Halftime Show Performer, According To Producer

 
 
 
 
 
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Elsewhere during the interview, Jesse Collins said more about next year’s Super Bowl halftime show, specifically the Lil Wayne controversy. “We love Wayne,” he remarked. “There’s always Vegas odds on who’s going to get to perform it. But I think we’re going to do an amazing show with Kendrick, and I think everybody’s going to love the halftime show. I know Kendrick is going to work exceptionally hard to deliver an amazing show.” Collins also had high praise for K.Dot and Beyoncé’s performance of “Freedom” at the 2016 BET Awards, a spectacle he also helped produce.

Meanwhile, another Jay-Z debate concerning the Super Bowl halftime show is whether or not he offered it to Drake in the past. Some folks think so, others don’t believe it. Nevertheless, this opened up another avenue for criticism and scrutiny when it comes to this halftime show decision. As you’ve probably already experienced, all these moving parts just look like a whole bunch of contradictions and vague obfuscations. We will probably never know for sure…

Read More: Usher Has One Piece Of Advice For Kendrick Lamar And His Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Reginae Carter Praises Her Dad Lil Wayne Again Amid Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl Debate

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Lil Wayne is still getting love and dismissal from many hip-hop and pop culture corners over the Super Bowl halftime show controversy. When Kendrick Lamar announced his headlining slot in New Orleans next year, many fans felt that Tunechi deserved it instead, a notion bolstered by K.Dot’s Drake battle. However, we’re starting to see folks shift the conversation to the most important parts of this whole debate: commending each artist for their greatness and giving Wayne the flowers he deserves. His daughter Reginae Carter recently spoke out about this whole thing, trying to shift gears to a more celebratory and supportive narrative.

“Lil weezyana fest is gone be so lit this year!” Reginae Carter wrote of her father Lil Wayne’s New Orleans festival later in 2024. “My dad brings this to his hometown every year to make his fans and supporters proud! Let’s Focus on the positive and things we can control [red heart emoji]. Let’s talk about how he sold out in a day ‼” No matter where you stand on the Super Bowl debate, we have much more useful ways to show support.

Read More: Nicki Minaj Reacts To Lil Wayne’s Vulnerable Super Bowl Snub Response

Reginae Carter Hypes Up Lil Wayne’s Festival

“They envy greatness !!!!” Reginae Carter initially seemed to express regarding the Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne debate. By this point, anyone happy or mad about the final decision has plenty of different reasons to feel how they feel. As such, we don’t really know where Reginae directs her previous frustration and current focus on positivity. Is it against Kendrick and pgLang for taking advantage of this opportunity? Is it against Jay-Z and the NFL for capitalizing on it? Or is it at fans who turned this choice into a competition of who can disrespect the other MC more?

Regardless, there’s a lot more to say about the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. We’re sure we will hear more connective tissue in the road to February, as we have plenty of chances for new music or statements until then from any party. No matter how Reginae Carter would characterize the Lil Wayne and Kendrick Lamar debate, she’s right in emphasizing the need to be supportive and hopeful. Greatness doesn’t find you: you find it.

Read More: Lil Wayne Draws Fans’ Sympathy And Apathy Over His Super Bowl Snub Response

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Charlamagne Tha God Makes Bold Claim About Drake Super Bowl Rumors After Kendrick Lamar Announcement

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Charlamagne Tha God and Andrew Schulz – via their Brilliant Idiots podcast – recently spoke on the rumors that Drake has been offered the Super Bowl halftime show before, which were sparked after Kendrick Lamar announced his headlining slot in New Orleans next year and its ensuing Lil Wayne controversy. “And by the way, I hope Drake isn’t doing corny s**t like leaking that, ‘Well, you know, I got offered the Super Bowl a bunch of times and I turned it down,’” Charlamagne kicked his remarks off. “Nobody believes that. I hope Drake isn’t going around saying that. Because why wouldn’t you do the Super Bowl? Of course you would.

“If you took the time to write a rap that says ‘Big as the Super Bowl,’ then you understand the magnitude of the Super Bowl and you would absolutely do the Super Bowl,” Charlamagne Tha God theorized. “I don’t believe that. Let’s just say, hypothetically, he did get offered. That right there dispels all of the Internet rumors about Jay-Z hating on Drake, then. Stupid motherf***ers. ‘Cause everybody was saying, ‘Jay-Z hates Drake, Jay-Z hates Drake.’ So if he offered him the Super Bowl four years in a row and he turned it down, is that hate?

Read More: 50 Cent Divulges His Thoughts On Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl Halftime Show & Drake Beef

Charlamagne Tha God Speaks On Drake Super Bowl Rumors

“So clearly, Jay-Z’s not hating on nobody,” Charlamagne Tha God continued. “He’s helped Wayne, he’s ‘offered’ Drake the Super Bowl, which I don’t even believe. I don’t believe that happened. But let’s just say hypothetically that he did. [He either offered you the Super Bowl] or he’s hating. He liked the post about Cam saying, ‘I guess Jay was hating.’ He didn’t say Jay, he just said one person is hating, he never said who it was. I saw [Drake] like the post. So if you liked the post – I forgot what site he was on. But if you liked the post and then you turn around and say you’ve been invited to do the Super Bowl and you turned it down? Like, eh.

“Unless he was invited before [Jay-Z became the curator] of the halftime show, but I don’t know,” Charlamange Tha God concluded. “I don’t believe that. Let’s be clear. There was no rap at the Super Bowl halftime shows before Jay-Z. You had very, very, very safe rap artists who hit that stage as part of ensembles. The only one I can remember is Nelly. That’s literally the only one I can remember.”

Read More: Drake Continues To Show Lil Wayne Support Amidst Halftime Show Debate

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50 Cent Divulges His Thoughts On Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl Halftime Show & Drake Beef

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The world is still talking about all things Kendrick Lamar and Drake, bolstered by the former’s new song and his Super Bowl halftime show announcement. There are many debates on the table: the supposed existence of a “Round 2,” the Lil Wayne controversy, and the general back-and-forth fanbase war between these two artists. One mediator of sorts with ties to both parties is 50 Cent, who previously seemed to take the 6ix God’s side in all this. But during his recent appearance on The Talk as a special guest, he spoke on all of these aspects and made it clear that he’s got a lot of love on both sides of the aisle.

“I mean, it was a choice,” 50 Cent said of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl slot, which he thinks he fully deserves. “As a solo artist right now, he’s the guy.” In addition, he also stated that he understands why people wanted to see Lil Wayne take the big stage in New Orleans next year. However, Fif proposed that K.Dot should bring out some of his collaborators, hinting that he doesn’t think a Weezy guest spot is out of the question. Of course, Young Money loyalty would probably get in the way of that, but maybe a Drake beef isn’t as big as the Super Bowl.

Read More: Rick Ross Blasts 50 Cent For Siding With Drake Amid Kendrick Lamar Beef

50 Cent Speaks On Kendrick Lamar & Drake

As for the actual battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, 50 Cent called it “good for the culture.” “Both Drake and Kendrick produced quality music faster because they had to compete with each other,” he posited. “That competitive nature made them go work and have responses. Hip-hop is still – it’s not just a genre where you can just make a song and sit back. You have to make a song and be ready to make a song again right away with other artists.”

Meanwhile, Lil Wayne recently gave a statement on this Super Bowl debacle. “It made me feel like s**t not getting this opportunity,” he expressed in a video. “And when I felt like s**t, you guys reminded me that I ain’t s**t without y’all. And that’s an amazing reality. So, like I said, it broke me. And I’m just trying to put me back together. But, my God, have you all helped me. Thanks to all my peers, my friends, my family, my homies on 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. Thank you.”

Read More: DJ Hed Has A Hot Take About Kendrick Lamar & Lil Wayne Super Bowl Controversy

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DJ Hed Has A Hot Take About Kendrick Lamar & Lil Wayne Super Bowl Controversy

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During an interview with The Shade Room, DJ Hed gave his definitive take on the Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne Super Bowl debacle. “I mean, I don’t like the comparisons,” he began. “I don’t like the negativity around it, I don’t think it’s needed. For people who are completely self-absorbed and people who are selfish in a certain way – ‘Cause it’s The Shade Room: I’m not talking about Nicki, Drake, Stunna or nobody like that. I’m just saying that the Internet and the fans and people cause these types of disruptions. I think it’s unfair taking away from people’s moments.

“When you look at Lil Wayne, Lil Wayne is one of them ones in a real way,” DJ Hed continued. “This is not to diminish his legacy or take away from anything that he’s done culturally or musically. He’s a legend. All of these dudes is his sons. That’s a fact, right? So because all of these dudes is his sons, I think he’s owed that respect. However, the Super Bowl performance has never been indicative of geography. That just recently became a thing because of cultural awareness.

Read More: Dee-1’s Support Of Kendrick Lamar Leads To Barrage Of Backlash From New Orleans Community

DJ Hed Speaks On Kendrick Lamar & Lil Wayne Debate

“We’ve all been in rooms where we’re the only person who looked like us in those rooms,” DJ Hed went on. “So whenever you’re in these situations, I think you have an opportunity to speak culturally. When you look at what’s happening recently with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg at the Super Bowl, that was more or less curation. Being culturally aware. ‘Hey, this might be a good idea. Rappers have never been at the forefront, or hip-hop has never been at the forefront on a stage like this.’

“I don’t think it’s about geography,” DJ Hed concluded. “Just ’cause it’s in Atlanta doesn’t mean Future is the one that needs to perform. Just because it’s in Detroit doesn’t mean that Eminem needs to perform. The teams who are playing, who earned the right to compete in the Super Bowl with no round twos, those teams are not even from the city that they are playing in. So I don’t like that mixed messaging that people are conflating the two. Also, if you want to keep it real, who’s had a better year than Dot at this point?“

Read More: DJ Hed Praises Drake And Shocks Kendrick Lamar Fans & Haters In The Process

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Nas Congratulates Kendrick Lamar For Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Kendrick Lamar has had one of the most eventful years for a rapper in recent memory, following up his Super Bowl halftime show announcement with a new song after an intense battle with Drake. Even though there’s a lot of debate over whether or not the legendary Lil Wayne deserved the headlining spot instead, another hip-hop legend had nothing to say but congratulations. Moreover, Nas recently shouted K.Dot out on his Instagram Story on Friday (September 13), which is coincidentally one day before Esco’s birthday. “Congratulations to my brotha @kendricklamar. Can’t wait to watch the party die!!!!” he wrote, making reference to Kendrick’s new track and reposting his Super Bowl announcement.

As such, this is a light cosign on Nas’ part of all the cultural, social, and philosophical critiques of the rap game that Kendrick Lamar engaged in on his new record. But it’s also just an excited anticipation of what’s to come from him, so let’s not read too deeply into it. If you weren’t aware, these two MCs admire each other deeply, with them linking up for the Queens lyricist’s 50th birthday party last year. Also, Nasir Jones spoke glowingly of listening to the Compton star for the first time on his King’s Disease III cut, “First Time.”

Read More: Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Stage Stirs Storm Of Controversy Over Lil Wayne

Kendrick Lamar Gets Love From Nas

“Since when did rap leave me so suspended in air?” Nas rapped about his first experience with Kendrick Lamar’s art. “Since Kendrick entered the atmosphere, ’09, I was there / On La Cienega, my n***a from L.A. said there’s a n***a from Black Hippy / I was happy to just witness history.” Many rap fans today can probably relate to this feeling, whether it’s specifically concerning the pgLang creative or when it comes to other fan-favorite artists these days.

Meanwhile, Lil Wayne recently broke his silence on not being selected for Super Bowl LIX in favor of Kendrick Lamar. “It made me feel like s**t not getting this opportunity,” he reflected. “And when I felt like s**t, you guys reminded me that I ain’t s**t without y’all. And that’s an amazing reality. So, like I said, it broke me. And I’m just trying to put me back together. But, my God, have you all helped me. Thanks to all my peers, my friends, my family, my homies on 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. Thank you.”

Read More: Nas Shows Love After “Illmatic” Is Crowned Greatest Rap Album Ever

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Lil Wayne Draws Fans’ Sympathy And Apathy Over His Super Bowl Snub Response

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Lil Wayne found himself at the center of controversy after Kendrick Lamar announced that he will headline Super Bowl LIX’s halftime show in New Orleans, Louisiana on February 9, 2025. Many folks felt like the Young Money boss deserved the spot instead, a conversation amplified by K.Dot’s beef with Tunechi’s Toronto protégé, Drake. While there are many different angles and perspectives to discuss and debate, the most important one to consider is Wayne’s own feelings. Now, we have a good idea of what those are thanks to a heartfelt video response that landed on social media in the wee hours of Friday (September 13).

“That hurt,” Lil Wayne said of not being selected for Super Bowl LIX’s halftime show. “Hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about? It hurt a whole lot. I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a let-down. And for just automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody had told me that was my position. So I blame myself for that. But I thought that there was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city. So it hurt, it hurt a whole lot.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Stage Stirs Storm Of Controversy Over Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne’s Response To Missing Out On Super Bowl Halftime Show In New Orleans

“But y’all… Y’all are f***ing amazing,” Lil Wayne continued. “It made me feel like s**t not getting this opportunity. And when I felt like s**t, you guys reminded me that I ain’t s**t without y’all. And that’s an amazing reality. So, like I said, it broke me. And I’m just trying to put me back together. But, my God, have you all helped me. Thanks to all my peers, my friends, my family, my homies on 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. Thank you.” Check out reactions to Weezy’s message down below.

Fans React

Elsewhere, many in the industry have their theories as to why this all happened. Some think that there’s not much to really talk about here, and that fans are exaggerating their indignant reactions. Others like Joe Budden, however, think that there’s something murkier going on behind the scenes. We’ll see if any concrete information emerges about this whole debacle…

Read More: As Big As The Super Bowl? Lil Wayne’s Snub Was Expected

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‘It Broke Me,’ Lil Wayne Says In His Somber Video About Not Being Chosen For The 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Lil Wayne TwoGether Land Festival 2024
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Earlier this year, Lil Wayne expressed that he really, really wanted to play the Super Bowl Halftime Show for 2025, considering it would be on his home turf in New Orleans. A few days ago, though, it was revealed that it was Kendrick Lamar who was chosen for the coveted gig.

Days later, Wayne has spoken up, and he’s heartbroken.

Wayne shared a video this morning (September 13). In it, he appears downtrodden as he speaks, saying:

“First of all, I want to say forgive me for the delay. […] I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking.

I’m gonna 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.

That hurt. It hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about. It hurt a whole lot. 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. So I blame myself for that. But I thought that was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, and so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot.

[But] y’all are f*cking amazing. It made me feel like sh*t, not getting this opportunity, and when I felt like sh*t, you guys reminded me that I ain’t sh*t without y’all… and that’s an amazing reality.

So, like I said, it broke me and I’m just trying to put me back together. But my God, have you all helped me. 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.”

Watch the video here.