Earlier this week, Kendrick Lamar was announced as the headliner of next year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. The decision sparked a whole lot of conversation, and much of that conversation revolved around the artist who was not chosen to perform. Next year’s Super Bowl is in New Orleans, the hometown of Lil Wayne, one of the greatest and most impactful rappers in history. It’s not really that common for a Super Bowl Halftime Show to be built around an artist from the host city, though it has happened before. But plenty of Wayne’s rap peers expressed outrage at what they saw as a snub. Early this morning, Lil Wayne went on Instagram Live to talk about the emotional toll that it took on him.

Lil Wayne had publicly said that he wanted to perform at next year’s Super Bowl, that he was “praying” for the opportunity, and he apparently really expected to get that call. Looking chastened and genuinely upset, Wayne said, “It hurt a whole lot. I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown and for just automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position… It broke me, but I’m just trying to put me back together.” Wayne thanked fans and friends for all the support over the last few days. He looks like he’s really going through it. Here’s what Wayne said:

Your words turned into arms and held me up when tried to fall back. That hurt. 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 just 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.

Y’all, y’all are fucking amazing. It made me feel like shit, not getting this opportunity. And when I felt like shit, you guys reminded me that I ain’t shit 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, 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.

Wow… Lil Wayne was just on IG Live talking about how hurt he was not performing at the Super Bowl in New Orleans

"It broke me but I'm just trying to put myself together. Thank you to my fans, my peers and my friends

I'm working on me thank you" pic.twitter.com/F8uM7QlIyk

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) September 13, 2024

After the announcement of the Kendrick Lamar Halftime Show, lots of fans speculated on lingering tensions between Jay-Z, whose company Roc Nation produces the Halftime Show, and people from Lil Wayne’s camp, whether it be Drake, Birdman, or Wayne himself. Plenty of people close to Wayne spoke up. As Complex points out, Birdman tweeted, “Hatin shit 4real.” Wayne’s former Cash Money labelmate Juvenile said, “I’m mad at the people who hired the motherfuckers who booked the halftime show.” Fellow New Orleans rap star Master P posted, “Life is too short! We have to give our legends their flowers while they are here.” On their YouTube show It Is What It Is, Cam’ron and Mase devoted an entire segment to the decision, calling it “egregious.”

Cam’ron and Mase insinuate that “somebody in the selection process” is hating on Lil Wayne and is the reason he wasn’t selected to perform at halftime of the Super Bowl.

“It’s egregious and it gotta stop.”

pic.twitter.com/O24uB8WVmx

— UPROXX (@UPROXX) September 9, 2024

On Twitter, Nicki Minaj posted angrily and repeatedly.

God forbid if Wayne was to leave this earth right now, the culture would be in mourning. That’s why so many ppl keep saying to give our legends their flowers while they are still around to smell them. Sitting around all day playing games with ppl life & legacy. God ain’t sleep.…

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 9, 2024

God will punish you. Mark my words.
The man that has not only pushed his pen the hardest, but gave the game more than 1 hip hop ICON as well on his watch? Represent the RAP game?!?!! The best RAPPER don’t represent the RAP GAME well enough 4u? Black ppl. Wow. If this don’t hurt… https://t.co/ONxZnL4KoO

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) September 9, 2024

Like virtually every other rapper working at a high level in the past decade, Kendrick Lamar has tons of love and respect for Lil Wayne. In 2016, when Wayne was trapped in a legal battle with Cash Money records, Kendrick made a video supporting Wayne, rapping along with early Wayne records and imploring him not to retire. Two years later, when Wayne finally got to release his long-awaited album Tha Carter V, it included “Mona Lisa,” a #2 hit that Wayne and Kendrick recorded together. Kendrick has not yet addressed Wayne’s disappointment over the Super Bowl.