Fact Check: Was Drake offered Super Bowl Halftime Show in last few years? NFL sources refute viral rumor

During a recent episode of the Rory and Mal Podcast, Mal alleged that Drake was offered the Super Bowl Halftime Show for years but he declined it. Mal stated during their September 10, 2024, episode that the rapper had been offered the Super Bowl Show for four years, but he said no to the performance "for whatever reason."

Journalist Elliot Wilson also referenced the same in HipHop DX's The Bigger Picture. The journalist supported Mal's claims that Drizzy had turned down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl in 2020 and 2021 when it was held in Miami and Tampa, respectively.

However, Bloomberg's sports journalist, Randall Williams, refuted the claims and rumors of Drake being offered to perform at the Halftime Show. He took to X on September 13, 2024, to clarify that in the last five years, Drizzy has never been offered the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

"NFL sources told me in the five years the NFL has been partnered with Roc Nation, the two parties have never offered Drake the Super Bowl Halftime Show," the journalist wrote on X.

He also added that one of his sources called the rumors a "blatant lie."

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Drake supports Lil Wayne amidst Super Bowl Halftime Show controversy

Kendrick Lamar took to Instagram on September 8, 2024, to announce that he would be performing at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime in New Orleans. However, that announcement was met with some controversy, with many rappers, including Nicki Minaj, wondering why Lil Wayne wasn't given the opportunity to perform in his hometown.

Lil Wayne also spoke about Roc Nation's decision to have Lamar perform at the show, instead of him. In an Instagram post uploaded on September 13, 2024, Lil Wayne wrote it hurt him "a whole lot" that he wasn't going to be able to perform on the stage in his hometown.

“I thought there was nothing better than that spot, that stage and that platform in my city. So it hurt, it hurt a whole lot. But y’all are f*****g amazing. It made me feel like s**t not getting this opportunity and when I felt like s**t, you guys reminded me that I ain’t s**t without y’all. And that’s an amazing reality,” Wayne wrote.

While Drake didn't directly address the controversy, he seemed to agree with the artists who believed that Lil Wayne should have been the one to perform at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. He took to Instagram stories on September 11, 2024, and posted a photo of the Young Money crew, which has artists under Lil Wayne's record label Young Money Entertainment.

The next day, he also posted two photos of Lil Wayne on his Instagram story. While the rapper did not caption the pictures, fans speculated that this was the One Dance rapper's way of supporting Lil Wayne.

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Drizzy or his team haven't commented on Kendrick Lamar performing at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. However, it is confirmed that the Canadian rapper hasn't been offered to perform on the platform, and neither has he had a chance to reject the supposed offers.

Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj alleged that Roc Nation's decision to have Lamar perform over herself, Drake, or Birdman was a personal vendetta. Her allegations have brought more attention to the controversy and created tension about Roc Nation's decision to have Kendrick Lamar perform in 2025.

Fans believe that one of the biggest reasons behind Drizzy supporting Lil Wayne is that he was signed under Wayne's record label at the beginning of his career. Additionally, Lil Wayne performing at the Super Bowl would also increase the possibility of Drake and Nicki Minaj appearing as guest performers.

Another reason could be his feud with Kendrick, which was in the news for months. However, it has seemingly gone cold now.