Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne's history and collaborations explored amid the Super Bowl drama

Birthday Bash - Source: Getty
Birthday Bash (Image via Getty)

Nicki Minaj voiced her hard feelings about Lil Wayne being snubbed from performing at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show in New Orleans next February.

On Sunday, September 8, Kendrick Lamar was announced as the headlining performer for the Super Bowl, which left Wayne feeling "hurt" about not performing in his hometown.

Nicki was quick to come to Lil Wayne's aid, hinting at Jay Z's beef with her, Drake, and BIRDMAN having influenced this decision in her X tweet on September 9. It was evident from her post that Minaj cares a great deal about the Tie My Hands rapper.


Lil Wayne signed Nicki Minaj to his record label in 2009

Nicki Minaj was discovered by Lil Wayne in 2009 and signed to his label, Young Money Entertainment, soon after. Over the years, they've not only worked together to make music but also grown close as friends.

On July 3, 2020, Lil Wayne was interviewed by Variety, where he was asked about his wildest memory with Nicki Minaj. Answering the question, the Lollipop rapper said:

"I have a lifetime of memories with the beautiful Barbie! It’s too many to pull from but the funniest one is when we shot a video for one of her songs and I had to be the guy in bed with her!!"

Wayne continued:

"Tooooooo difficult! All dat azz on a n***a ain’t a game, Jesus. She made it easy though, she’s a doll forever. I love her for real."

Lil Wayne isn't just close to Nicki Minaj but also her family. In October 2021, when Minaj's son - who is still referred to as Papa Bear - turned one year old, the Hustler Musik rapper sent dozens of presents to Minaj's home.

Nicki shared a video of all those presents in an Instagram story, revealing box after box of Burberry, Givenchy, and Balenciaga lying on the floor, writing:

"@liltunechi I just opened the bags & I’m in shock. This is insane. I love you so much. This is A LOT OF STUFF. OMG."

In June 2023, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz were invited to the All The Smoke podcast, where the two rappers had been tasked to ask each other various fan-submitted questions.

One of the questions directed towards the Young Money founder was about the artist he believed to be the GOAT of his record label.

Wayne straightaway mentioned Nicki Minaj's name, which was something the Pink Friday rapper was grateful for. She posted some clips from the podcast on her Instagram handle on June 12, writing:

"I sure did lean on your confidence & u sure were ALWAYS there... we love you so much. We thank you so much. Long live the BAR!"

Minaj and Wayne have collaborated on 33 songs

Ever since Nicki Minaj was signed to Wayne's record label in 2009, the duo have appeared side by side on as many as 33 songs, and some of them have even featured other artists.

Wayne's Knockout is one of their earliest collaborations, released on May 27, 2010. The track, which was part of his seventh album - Rebirth - peaked at 44 on Billboard's Hot 100, making it Minaj's first song to enter the chart.

Only is another remarkable collaboration between the duo, also including Drake. Belonging to Minaj's fourth album - The Pinkprint - the track was released on December 12, 2014 and features Chris Brown as a singer.

While the track was positioned at no. 12 on Billboard Hot 100, it debuted atop the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, making Minaj the first female rapper to have achieved that.

Lil Wayne was also featured in one of the most popular diss tracks of Minaj, aimed at her rival, Remy Ma, as a response to her shETHER.

Released on April 19, 2017, the track featured both Wayne and Drake, in which Nicki called Remy a fraud, and hitting at her for the poor sales of her latest tracks. It peaked at number 12 on Billboard Hot 100.


Lil Wayne has announced a mini tour featuring five concerts across the US, starting October 11. Meanwhile, Minaj will wrap her ongoing Pink Friday 2 world tour on the same date.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande
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