Kendrick Lamar has addressed his supposed feud with fellow rapper Lil Wayne on his new album GNX.
The 37-year-old Compton rapper released his sixth album earlier today (November 22) with no warning.
Fans were quick to note the latest development in Lamar’s long-running feud with Canadian rapper Drake. In May, Drake released a diss track about Lamar titled “The Heart Part 6,” which co-opted its title from Lamar’s series of “Heart” songs.
GNX includes Lamar’s own song “heart pt. 6,” an indication that Lamar has decided not to recognize Drake’s song. The track itself doesn’t comment on the feud.
Elsewhere, however, Lamar does tackle the controversy that arose after it was announced he will perform at next year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, which will take place in New Orleans on February 9, 2025.
On “wacced out murals,” the opening track of GNX, Lamar references a classic Lil Wayne album from 2008 as he raps: “Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud / Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down.”
A few bars later, he adds: “Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me / All these n***** agitated / I’m just glad it’s on their faces / Quite frankly, plenty artist but they outdated / Old-a** flows trying to convince me that you they favorite.”
The lyrics reference the fact that Lamar’s success in being chosen to perform at the Super Bowl inadvertently let down Lil Wayne, who had been hoping to perform at the event in his hometown of New Orleans.
In September Wayne, 41, addressed the devastating blow in a video posted to Instagram.
“First of all, I want to say forgive me for the delay. I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking,” the “Love Me” rapper began somberly. “I’mma say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all love and support out there. Your words turned into arms and held me up when I tried to fall back.”
“That hurt. It hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about. It hurt a whole lot,” he said.
“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. So I blame myself for that,” he continued, adding that it hurt even more given that the game will be held in his hometown of New Orleans.
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“I thought that was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot,” he said, thanking his “amazing” fans, who “reminded me that I ain’t s***,” even when “not getting this opportunity” made “me feel like s***.”
“It broke me, and I’m just trying to put my back together, but my God, have y’all helped me,” he added, sharing his appreciation for his friends, peers, family and “my homies on the sports television” for “repping me.”
“I feel like I let all y’all down by not getting that opportunity. But I’m working on me,” he concluded.