While appearing on Nightcap with hosts Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, Snoop Dogg gave a balanced take on the Kendrick Lamar and Lil Wayne Super Bowl Halftime Show controversy.
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Snoop, who himself performed along with Dr. Dre and friends during the Super Bowl 56 Halftime Show in LA in 2022, reminded viewers that rap being featured during one of the biggest nights of the year wasn’t the norm once upon a time. “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,” he answered. “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.”
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Adding, “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.”
He then mentioned that he watched Wayne’s career unfold when he was signed to Master P’s No Limit during the late ’90s before highlighting that he has great relationships with the parties involved. “Lil Wayne is the GOAT of New Orleans rap,” he said. “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.
“Me and Wayne is family to this day, me and Kendrick is family to this day, and me and Jay-Z, and me and 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.”
Much has been made about the NFL’s decision to have Lamar headline the the Super Bowl 59 Halftime Show this upcoming February. The Compton rapper hasn’t acknowledged the chatter, instead choosing to release an untitled song on his Instagram. Wayne, however, posted a video expressing his disappointment, saying not being chosen to perform at the Super Bowl in his hometown “broke” him. While some speculated that it may’ve been Jay-Z who made the call, it was recently revealed by Super Bowl Halftime Show executive producer Jesse Collins the the rapper and mogul does have the final say.
You can watch the full interview here.