LL Cool J Encourages Lil Wayne After Super Bowl Halftime Snub: ‘Your Time Will Come’

LL Cool J has words of advice for Lil Wayne after the Cash Money Records alum felt “hurt a whole lot” after Kendrick Lamar was chosen as the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show performer.

In a chat with Fat Joe for the rapper’s weekly interview series on Starz, Fat Joe Talks, LL Cool J praised the New Orleans emcee.

“Lil Wayne is one of the most talented dudes on the planet. Period. He’s one of our great artists. He’s an unbelievable writer,” LL Cool J said. “He’ll have his day. Let Kendrick get that. Let’s keep it moving.”

The “Mama Said Knock You Out” rapper offered his perspective as to why Wayne was hurt. “First of all, the people of New Orleans are amazing and Wayne comes from a very proud state, Louisiana, and a very proud city, New Orleans, so we’ve got to put some respect on that.”

“Your time will come. You’ll have your day. You will. You were a little kid — 14 years old — you became one of the great rappers in the culture…you put things in the dictionary. You’ll have your time. You can’t let that break you,” LL Cool J, 56, told Fat Joe. “And the only reason it makes me laugh is because I know how blessed he is. I know how successful he is.”

LL Cool J also related the situation to his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2021. “To put it in perspective, I’m in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” the New York rapper said. “They voted on me, it felt like 999,000 times before I got in. It didn’t break me, bro. I didn’t even make a comment. As a matter of fact, I laughed just like I just laughed just now.”

The rap veteran admitted that “sometimes unintentionally, we get a little bit spoiled.”

Wayne, 41, posted a video to Instagram when Lamar, 37, announced he will headline the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime show at the Caesars Superdome. “I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking,” the “Lollipop” rapper said. “I’mma say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all the love and the support out there. Your words turned into to arms and held me up when I tried to fall back.”

“It hurt a whole lot. 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,” Wayne admitted. “But I thought there was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt.”

In a statement obtained by PEOPLE upon the announcement, the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper said, “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date, and I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”

Jay-Z, whose company Roc Nation helps curate the historic performances, said, “Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer. His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision. “