“Confused. Disappointed. Angry.” These 3 words by Lil Wayne’s manager perfectly encapsulated the rapper’s feelings. It was revealed that the music icon will not be a part of Super Bowl LIX. Instead, millions of NFL fans will witness the talents of Kendrick Lamar, whose long-running feud with Drake reached a new level in 2024. While many have chosen to take Wayne’s omission in their stride, others from the hip-hop world have not been silent. Even a few renowned voices from the NBA world have reacted, including Trae Young.

Aware of the snub, Trae Young may have needed to remind himself again of what made Lil Wayne great. With this in mind, the Atlanta Hawks point guard made all of his 1.7 million followers know, “Wayne been on repeat all day fr.” He seldom shies away from highlighting his love for rap music. From engaging in an entertaining Q&A session with Future to receiving a chain in his rookie season from Quavo, the 25-year-old also maintains a good rapport with several influential personalities from the rap world. Despite describing himself as a slow-dance person, Young claims to listen and vibe to Drake and Lil Wayne whenever he wants.

While part of Ice Trae would’ve been disappointed because of the respect he holds for Lil Wayne, another would have been mad that Kendrick Lamar was preferred over him. Since the Drake-Lamar feud escalated this year, with the latter releasing diss tracks, including the popular ‘Not Like Us’, Young has chosen to align himself with the Canadian. After Drake released ‘The Heart Part 6’ back in May, the hooper took to his Instagram and left a ‘chess piece’ and a ‘GOAT emoji’ in the comments section.

This was a way for Trae Young to state that when compared to Lamar, Drake’s recent diss track was the ultimate checkmate. Young’s voice currently stands out, while many of Drake’s other supporters, like Kevin Durant and LeBron James, have yet to say anything about Lil Wayne. The rapper made it known what performing in the Super Bowl meant to him in a December 2023 interview, stating, “There’s so many people that’s not from the city there. So, it’s a showcase. It’s something that tourists take back with them, and everybody not coming from an American city.” It is safe to assume that is not feeling a lack of support from celebrities and fans alike.

From Nicki Minaj to Travis Scott, Lil Wayne’s supporters boost his relevance after Super Bowl snub: “The culture would be in mourning”

Amongst the first celebrities to highlight their disappointment was Nicki Minaj. Taking to her official X account, the Truffle Butter singer expressed to her 28.1 million followers, “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. Gee Roberson you will learn that, too. Very soon,”

Minaj’s messages also included an indirect shot at Jay-Z, who is the co-producer of the halftime show, making an analogy to the Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling controversy and the rapper’s support.

Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj share a friendship based on mutual respect. From naming her as the greatest Young Money artist of all time to stating, “You killed it!!!!!!!” when Ciara adopted Nicki Minaj’s ‘Female Weezy look’ for Halloween, the 41-year-old has chosen to praise the female star whenever he gets the chance. Now, Minaj has gotten the opportunity to stand up for her biggest supporter.

Travis Scott was another legend from the rap world who made his voice heard. Without saying much, the SICKO MODE artist highlighted the radio edit version of Balenciaga while zooming in and out of a picture of Lil Wayne on his Instagram story. Before that, he featured himself watching a music video of Lil Tune, not leaving anybody to guess what got Scott into indulging in nostalgia.

With so much attention being directed towards the snub, a response had to be given out. Hours after revealing the details of the Super Bowl show, art director Shaun Harrison took to Facebook to state that he couldn’t allow himself to make a mistake by letting personal feelings get in the way. Whatever he may feel about Lil Wayne, Harrison stated that the rapper displayed a lack of work ethic during the Grammys by “showing up to zero rehearsals” and “then last minute he was in the building and ran on stage for the performance and ran off back into oblivion lol.” At the same time, he felt that “It’s going to be a spectacle” with Kendrick Lamar present.

While others may have responded without much obscenity, the same couldn’t have been said about Bryan Christopher Williams, more famously known as Birdman. The rapper did not leave anything out, as he followed Minaj’s tactic of criticizing Jay-Z by stating, “Smfh These ni—- Pu— @NICKIMINAJ @Drake @LilTunechi YMCMB. I’m make these ni—- respek us on Gladys. Hatin sh– 4real.” Yikes!

Birdman and Lil Wayne have had their share of a feud. However, this didn’t change the fact that the former was somewhat of a mentor to Wayne, as he was taken in under Birdman’s wing as a preteen after signing with Cash Money. Both have reportedly even gone as far as to refer to each other as a father-son duo. Through the above rant, no one needed another reminder of the respect that Birdman continues to hold for his supposed protegee.

Overall, the celebrity reactions wholly supported Lil Wayne, with some of them not hesitating to blame a specific person. With the news still being recent, the above-mentioned celebrities may not be the last to come out supporting Lil Wayne.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.