'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMG/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwb/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAJagag//xAAfEAABBAICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMEBQYRADIHEyL/2gAIAQEAAT8A8n3SS8VsZEixeCtuTZKtbNF0HrXsOuqEKiXMVyzDWMXp2ZVc67Ibhsg4aAv0SAm17c//xAAZEQEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMABTH/2gAIAQIBAT8A2C21kJ8Fz//EABoRAQABBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAAMFEpH/2gAIAQMBAT8AxS3pS2eKV//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lil Wayne surprised his fans after he took to the stage to perform a medley of his hit songs during SNL50: The Anniversary Special, which aired on NBC and Peacock on February 16. For the unversed, SNL50 is a three-and-a-half-hour show celebrating the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, the variety comedy show that first aired in October 1975.
Wayne was one of the many musical artists at the show to celebrate its 50th anniversary, joining The Roots and DJ T. Lewis to perform songs like Uproar, Lollipop, 6 Foot 7 Foot, Mrs. Officer, and A Milli.
Trending
Wayne fans were thrilled to see the rapper back on stage, with many claiming his performance was better than Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans.
For context, Lil Wayne, a New Orleans native, expressed his disappointment at being passed over as the headliner for the 2025 halftime show after the NFL revealed that Lamar had been chosen in September 2024. Wayne said he was "hurt," adding that it made him "feel like s**t" for not getting the spot in an Instagram video at the time.
Following his SNL50 performance, one fan tweeted:
"Better than the super bowl."
Many echoed this sentiment, showering the rapper with praises. Here are some of their reactions.
"We already knew Lil Wayne would have been a fantastic choice for the #SuperBowl," one person tweeted.
"Lil Wayne is utterly legendary. Effortless and precise," another person added.
"WEEZY THE GOAT," someone else commented.
"Miles better than the super bowl," another user wrote.
However, others were not as enthused by Wayne's performance, accusing the rapper of lip-syncing.
"Why he lip syncing?" one person questioned.
"Those pants are super cringe & what happened to the back of his hair. Weezy doesn’t memorize his songs he freestyles so it’s always hit or miss watching him live," another person added.
"Thank god Wayne didn’t perform at the Super Bowl lmao wtf is this garbage," someone else commented.
"He would’ve been so bad at the Super Bowl," another user posted.
Lil Wayne's fourth SNL performance
According to Billboard (published February 16), Lil Wayne's performance at SNL50 marked his fourth time performing on the sketch comedy show. Wayne's debut SNL performance was in 2008, where he performed Got Money and Lollipop.
In 2010, he returned to the show to perform 6 Foot 7 Foot from his Tha Carter IV album. His third appearance was in 2018 for a joint performance with Halsey on Can't Be Broken and Swizz Beatz on Uproar. For his fourth show on SNL50, he was joined by The Roots on stage.
Other than Lil Wayne, artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Miley Cyrus, and Paul McCartney also performed at the show's 50th anniversary special. Carpenter opened the show along with Paul Simon, performing a duet of the latter's Homeward Bound.
Meanwhile, Cyrus and Brittany Howard performed Nothing Compares 2 U, a Prince song made famous by the late Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor. Paul McCartney closed the star-studded show by performing a medley from The Beatles' Abbey Road.
In other news, Lil Wayne is gearing up for the release of his upcoming Tha Carter VI album. The sixth edition of the rapper's long-running Tha Carter series will be released on June 6, 2025.
