Lil Wayne Says Super Bowl Snub 'Broke' Him

The Super Bowl is coming to New Orleans this year, but don't expect to see hometown hero Lil Wayne on the stage. After it was revealed that Compton MC Kendrick Lamar will headline the halftime show, some fans and fellow rappers expressed outrage that Wayne was passed up for the gig. Now, the rapper himself is speaking out.

In a video posted to social media, Wayne first thanked fans for the support before expressing disappointment in the outcome. 

"That hurt. It hurt a lot," he said. "I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a let-down, and for just automatically putting myself mentally in that position like somebody told me that was my position. I thought there was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city. So it hurt a whole lot." 

He went on to say that the fans had lifted him out of a dark place. 

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"It made me feel like s--t for not getting this opportunity," he said. "And when I felt like s--t, y'all reminded me that I ain't s--t without y'all. That's an amazing reality."

Still, Wayne said the situation "broke me. And I'm just trying to put me back together." He also expressed a feeling that "I let all of y'all down by not getting that opportunity. But I'm working on me, and I'm working." 

The decision to pick Kendrick Lamar over Wayne comes months after Lamar had a high-profile beef with Wayne's protégé Drake, with the pair exchanging scathing diss tracks back in the spring. Other rappers under the Young Money/Cash Money umbrella, including Nicki Minaj and Birdman, have spoken out in Wayne's favor and taken issue with JAY-Z, whose company Roc Nation handles the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Still, others have pointed to recent lackluster performances from Wayne as well as Lamar's high-profile commercial success this year in defending the choice.

Check out his full message below: