Lil Wayne‘s engineer seems to have offered a direct response to the news that Kendrick Lamar is set to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show in Weezy’s hometown.
On Sunday (September 8), a couple of hours after K. Dot appeared in a commercial announcing his upcoming performance at Super Bowl LIX, renowned mixing engineer Fabian Marasciullo — whose credits include a number of Wayne’s projects and singles, including “Go D.J.,” Tha Carter III and “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” — took to his Instagram Stories to voice his disappointment.
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“Confused. Disappointed. Angry. But most of all. Inspired,” Marasciullo wrote. “Will never again be in a position or have the [goat emoji] in a position where we are at the mercy of someone else’s decision. We will make the decisions.”
It’s unclear what formal discussions may have occurred between Lil Wayne and the NFL, or what role his longtime engineer might have played in the discussion. However, the Young Money founder has been pretty vocal about his desire to be a part of the entertainment when the football championship game hits his city next year.
Lil Wayne's manager offers apparent reaction to Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl news pic.twitter.com/RTHyjqYNMd
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) September 8, 2024
During an interview with Taylor Rooks for Bleacher Report last December, Weezy talked about his desire to perform at Super Bowl LIX, which is being held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, 2025.
“Just as bad as I wanted to see my name at the top of that list when I was whatever age it was and I would bust into the office and get that Billboard magazine,” he said about wanting to perform.
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“Just as an artist, you know, ’cause this has nothing to do with the sport. As an artist, this is an achievement. This has nothing to do with the sport — that’s so crazy. I don’t care what teams are playing, what city it’s in. ‘You performed for the what?!’ Like, what? Oh man, so that right there is an achievement.”
However, on Sunday, the NFL — in a joint statement with Apple Music and Roc Nation — revealed Kendrick as the star of the next Apple Music Halftime Show. This will be his second appearance on the coveted televised stage, as he was part of Dr. Dre’s record breaking performance in 2022.
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“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar said as part of the formal announcement. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”
Alongside the organization’s statement, which they issued in partnership with Apple and Roc Nation, the former TDE rapper shared a video clip on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and YouTube.
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In the clip, Kendrick is seen running a practice session with an unseen receiver off-screen. After launching a few passes, supported by guidance and praise for the player, he shares the big news and subtly references his beef with Drake earlier this summer.
“My name’s Kendrick Lamar and I’ll be performing at Super Bowl LIX,” he begins. “Will you be pulling up? I hope so! You know it’s only one opportunity to win a championship; no round twos. I wouldn’t want you to miss it. Meet me in New Orleans, February 9, 2025. Wear your best dressed too, even if you’re watching from home.”
The “championship” line seems to be a direct call back to a post which Drizzy made via his burner account exactly two weeks prior, amid his onslaught of new releases.
On Sunday (August 25), Drizzy shared a clip of former Detroit Pistons star Rasheed Wallace’s famous interview where he guaranteed that the team would triumph over the Indiana Pacers in game two of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals.
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