New Orleans rap legend Master P took umbrage that fellow local icon Lil Wayne was not chosen to perform in the upcoming Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show.
Instead, revered rapper Kendrick Lamar of Los Angeles was selected to be the featured attraction at the highly-coveted show during the intermission of the biggest sporting event in America. Most musicians jump at the chance to perform since the Super Bowl customarily has a captive audience of more than 100 million people from a multitude of countries around the world.
The move to secure K.Dot’s services, most likely orchestrated by rap royalty Jay-Z through his partnership with the NFL, has been celebrated and subjected to intense online debate.
One of the folks who rejects the artist choice is No Limit Records founder Master P. The hip hop mogul was recently selected as the entertainment ambassador for Super Bowl week by New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell. And he believes a New Orleans artist — specifically Lil Wayne — should have represented the Crescent City since the 2025 Super Bowl will be held at Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9.
To be sure, Master P was conciliatory and congratulatory towards Lamar’s groundbreaking year, anchored by the ubiquitious blockbuster single “Not Like Us.”
“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,” Master P penned for his four million Instagram followers.
However, most consider Lil Wayne a Hall of Fame-caliber emcee who should have been included in the weeklong Super Bowl celebration, if not the actual halftime show.
“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,” Master P concluded.
Lil Wayne’s longtime manager and engineer, Fabian Marasciullo, used stronger rhetoric to convey his disappointment and confusion about Lil Wayne’s conspicuous omission from the Super Bowl lineup.
Marasciullo wrote on his IG stories that the snub, however hurtful, also “inspired” him to be proactive in the future.
“Will never again be in a position or have the [goat emoticon] in a position where we are at the mercy of someone else’s decision. We will make the decisions,” Fabian wrote, according to The Shade Room, which screenshot the message.
