While shutting down his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana with his sold-out annual 2024 Lil Weezyana Fest, Lil Wayne, put on one heck of a show for his fans, received the Key to his City, and addressed the Super Bowl Halftime Show controversy on stage.
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Before the night could end at Lil Wayne’s Lil Weezyana Fest last night (Saturday, November 2), the City of New Orleans honored the Hip-Hop legend with his own day and Key to the City. Weezy, one of the most influential figures in Hip-Hop, was recognized for his prolific career and contributions to the community by Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who presented Lil Wayne with the Key to the City and his own day in New Orleans. NOLA Entertainment Ambassador, native, and rap legend Master P also shared a few words about Wayne.
During his annual Lil Weezyana Fest — which promised a star-studded lineup, including a Hot Boys reunion featuring Juvenile, BG, and TURK, with appearances by Mannie Fresh and Rob 49 — Lil Wayne also addressed the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show controversy. As we previously shared, on September 8, JAY-Z‘s Roc Nation, Apple Music, and the NFL announced Kendrick Lamar as the headliner of Super Bowl LIX, which is currently scheduled to be played on February 9, 2025, at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome and set to air on Fox.
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Despite the praises from HOV, handfuls of social users criticized the decision, including Lil Wayne’s longtime engineer and co-manager, Fabian Marasciullo, Wayne’s Cash Money mentor Birdman and Cash Money labelmate Juvenile, his Young Money family Nicki Minaj, and even his daughter Reginae Carter spoke out.
Another person to speak on it was Punch, the founder of Kendrick Lamar’s former label TDE, who tweeted at Lil Wayne’s manager Mack Maine. Plus, rapper Pusha T, another NOLA native and rap legend Master P, New York rappers Cam’Ron and MA$E, Baton Rouge, Louisiana native and rap legend, Boosie Badazz, plus many more.
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Lil Wayne eventually spoke out himself and opened up about his feelings regarding not being selected to headline the 2025 Super Bowl in his hometown of New Orleans. In a video shared on social media, he said, “First of all, I want to say forgive me for the delay. I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking. I’mma say thank you to every voice, every opinion, and all the care, love, and support out there. Your words turned into arms and held me up when I tried to fall back.”
He continued, “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 [there] was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so, it hurt. It hurt a whole lot. But, y’all are f***ing 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.”
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Wayne concluded, “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.”
Addressing the 2025 Super Bowl controversy, Lil Wayne told a full crowd at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center, “You know, during my lifetime, the first Super Bowl was here, I made sure I bought tickets at the beginning of this season. And you know, I did the same when I moved to Miami, and I was wishing my team made it. Guess who made it that year, the motherf***ing [New Orleans] Saints.”
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Wayne continued, “I was able to give my momma that suite. She was able to bring my family and other people from New Orleans and they was able to have a f***ing ball. [In] that moment, I said to myself, ‘I want to be on stage for the Super Bowl one day in front of my mom. And I worked my a** off to get that f***ing position and it was ripped away from me. But, this motherf***ing moment right here… They can’t take that man.”
Concluding his speech at New Orleans’ 2024 Lil Weezyana Fest, Lil Wayne said, “They can’t take that from me. Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for yourselves for being amazing.” He then yelled out, “Music,” before his song “Mr. Carter” began to play on the speakers.
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