First off, this is not a story meant to kick Lil Wayne while he’s down. He is unquestionably one of the greatest and most influential MCs ever. He’s done a lot for hip-hop and deserves to be honored on a national stage.
But we at The Root don’t have to put down Wayne to be excited about Kendrick Lamar performing. We also don’t have to put down Lamar to defend Wayne’s legacy. The two can both exist and be great in the same space.
The goal of this story is to simply give reasons why the New Orleans MC may have not been chosen for the Super Bowl Halftime Show in his hometown. That’s all.
Hometown artists are rarely picked for the Halftime Show
The main reason fans are upset that Lil Wayne is not headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show is because it’s taking place in his hometown of New Orleans. It would be cool if the NFL had a history of picking hometown artists for the Super Bowl...but it doesn’t.
In fact, for the last 30 years, the NFL has only once chosen hometown artists, and that was in 2022 for Super Bowl LVI when Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar performed at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Lil Wayne is more popular than he is relevant
STAY WITH ME. This is not to say that Lil Wayne does not have name recognition or people do not know who he is. He’s a popular figure, but right now, Kendrick Lamar is much more culturally relevant than Wayne.
For the last six months, every move Lamar has made has been the most talked about thing in popular culture, let alone hip-hop. His verse on “Like That,” his beef with Drake, the Pop Out show, and so on.
I guarantee NFL execs had a look at the number of people who streamed his “Ken and Friends” show and wanted that same audience to watch his halftime performance.
As one user wrote on X, “Don’t be upset that Wayne wasn’t selected, be upset that he hasn’t been selected.”
During the late 2000s and early 2010s, Wayne was the most culturally relevant rap artist out and had the reach to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. He just never got the opportunity. The 2013 Super Bowl XLVII was in New Orleans and he wasn’t chosen. Where was the outrage then?
Kendrick Lamar is an excellent live performer
This should be the most obvious reason. Kendrick Lamar is an excellent live performer who would easily put on an entertaining show for TV. That’s the key. There’s a difference between being a good live performer at a normal concert and being a good performer for a TV audience. K. Dot has proven to be both.
While people try to act like Lamar just got hot off of his feud with Drake, it’s clear that he has the catalog to carry a halftime show that could be enjoyed by millions. He checks every box an artist needs to perform at an event of this magnitude.
Wayne’s politics are suspect
This is not to say that the NFL isn’t above promoting and celebrating people who have questionable political affiliations. But in the middle of election season, it would cause outrage if a man who endorsed Donald Trump is announced to perform at the Halftime Show.
His 2016 comments on Black Lives Matter are also suspect: He said during an interview with Linsey Davis that he doesn’t feel connected to the movement as a rich rapper.
“I don’t feel connected to a damn thing that ain’t got nothing to do with me,” he said, removing a cloth from his back pocket. “I’m connected to this flag right f**king here, because I’m connected. I’m a gangbanger now.”
The NFL is in the money-making business
This might be the most important reason. I think there’s a cultural disconnect with some Lil Wayne fans who think he should’ve been the headlining act for the Super Bowl halftime show. While there’s no doubt he’s known worldwide, more eyes would be on a Kendrick Lamar performance. That’s all the NFL cares about.
Yes, I know Jay-Z and Roc Nation are involved. But this halftime show is not just for hip-hop fans to enjoy. If it were, they would’ve chosen hip-hop artists as the headlining act for years now. But it’s for casual fans — who need to be neither fans of hip-hop or sports — to enjoy.
This year, Lamar’s reach is so big that people who never pay attention or care about the genre are all of a sudden experts on everything he’s done in the past six months.
Every box for the NFL will be checked. Hip-hop fans who don’t normally watch the Super Bowl will tune in and people who just recently started paying attention to Lamar’s every move will also watch. It’s everything the league wants.