Snoop Dogg has offered up a diplomatic stance on the Lil Wayne Super Bowl Halftime Show controversy.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Kendrick Lamar will perform at the National Football League (NFL) extravaganza to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana next February, leading many of Wayne’s fans and famous friends to publicly criticise the decision to pass over a New Orleans native for a Los Angeles rapper.
But during a recent interview with Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson for Nightcap, Snoop admitted he didn’t want to side with anyone in the debate.
“I don’t really have no opinion, but what I do wanna say is that, just remember where the NFL was 15 years ago when it comes to hip-hop. How many hip-hop artists was able to grace that stage 15 years ago? So, I understand both sides of the coin and I understand how people feel,” he insisted, before referring to his appearance at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show in 2022 alongside Dr. Dre, Kendrick, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige. “I have no answer, no opinion, because I had the opportunity to get up there via Dr. Dre. I didn’t do any Snoop Dogg songs. I was up there helping Dr. Dre and it became a great moment for all of us. So, any time anybody can get on that Super Bowl stage, remember this: it’s a 12/13-minute performance and you’re not getting paid. It’s more or less you have to spend money to upgrade your show to make it mass appealing for the audience that’s home watching.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Snoop went on to insist he’s a big fan of Wayne’s work.
“Remember, I was at No Limit Records for three years and I watched his whole career come to life and then watched him get bigger than me and I was gigantic at the time and I loved seeing his growth,” the rap icon continued. “Me and Wayne is family to this day, me and Kendrick is family to this day, and me and JAY-Z, and me and (NFL commissioner) Roger Goodell. I don’t know who is the decision maker, all I know is that I’ll be at home watching the Super Bowl and when the halftime show comes on, I’ll be watching that as well.”
Previously, Wayne thanked his fans for their support shortly after learning he had missed out on the opportunity.
“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,” the 41-year-old, real name Dwayne Carter Jr., said at the time. “So I blame myself for that. But I thought that was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot.”
Kendrick will headline the show at the Caesars Superdome on 9 February 2025.
