Juvenile clarified his comments about Lil Wayne not being tapped to headline this season’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.
He and Mannie Fresh made appearance on Los Angeles-area radio show, Power 106’s Brown Bag Morning Show where they both addressed Kendrick Lamar being picked instead after being asked if they would perform if the Compton rapper extended an invite. “Oh, we there,” Juvie answered with no hesitation. “Kendrick is one of the best performers we’ve ever seen. He’s top notch, especially in hip-hop. In the hip-hop world, and he raises the bar. So it’s something that everybody want to see, and if he calls, I’m there. No problem.”
Mannie then interjected that social media has a habit of mucking things up. “The thing is, the internet always makes something that it’s not,” he said. “Because people felt like we took a side ’cause we said that it would be cool if Wayne was in it. Of course we going to say that — that’s from our team, but respectfully, Kendrick is that dude. He’s a good dude.”
Juvie added: “Never throwing shade on Kendrick not one time because I don’t live my life like that anyway. I don’t like to tear somebody else down to put somebody else in a position, right? But I felt like Wayne was campaigning for that spot, he came out months ahead of time and I’m like, well, if he’s asking for it, at least consider him — give him a call or something.”
The New Orleans rapper continued by reemphasizing that his beef was always with the NFL and never with Lamar or the person ultimately responsible for the pick in Jay-Z. “My quarrel was never with Jay-Z or Kendrick or anything like that,” he reiterated. “My quarrel was with the NFL and the other 11 Super Bowls they had in my city and they never gave us a chance to put anybody from the city on. How they come to our city and they throw this big major event and they rent all the buildings and they don’t let the people from the city… we don’t see those benefits. My cause is totally different.”
Back in September, a day after Kendrick announced that he was headlining Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans, Juvie took to social media to give his two cents. “So everybody wants me to speak on this Super Bowl situation,” he began visibly upset while sitting in a car. “Look, I’m mad about the situation just like y’all, but my hatred is towards the NFL — not really the people that booked the halftime show. I’m mad at the people that hired the muthaf—as that booked the halftime show. I feel like y’all should step in. Y’all done had 11 Super Bowls in New Orleans, man. Y’all have yet to put a hip-hop artist from New Orleans on the damn Super Bowl!”
He continued: “I feel like every time y’all come here, y’all should have somebody from our city on the sh—t. But this time it really hits hard when you don’t have Lil Wayne on the show. I don’t see how the f—k y’all don’t have Lil Wayne doing the halftime show. Somebody that has a whole bunch of f—ing hits and somebody that really deserves it and somebody that can bring out multiple artists of all genres. Think about it.”
The N.O. legend then aimed his anger towards NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, saying, “So this goes to you, Roger Goodell, you need to get it right, man. You coming to our city, sucking up our culture and making all this money and putting all this bread in your pocket and other people’s pockets and hanging us dry. It gotta stop.”
He wasn’t the only rapper upset. Nicki Minaj, Cam’ron, Mase, Master P, and Boosie all felt like Weezy was snubbed. Wayne even admitted to feeling broken over the situation.
You can watch the full convo below:
