Lil Wayne Says Super Bowl Halftime Disappointment “Broke” Him

(Deadline) – Rapper and New Orleans native Lil Wayne says he was broken after not being hired to headline this year’s Super Bowl halftime show in his hometown.

In an Instagram video posted today, Wayne says about last weekend’s announcement that Kendrick Lamar got the February 9 gig, “It broke me, and I’m just trying to put myself back together.”

Wayne has made no secret of his Super Bowl desires over the years, and apparently thought the New Orleans angle might finally do the trick. Despite considerable social media lobbying by fans, the choice of Lamar was made by Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation company is the halftime producer, the NFL and the city of New Orleans.

“That hurt, it hurt a whole lot,” Wayne says in the video (watch it below). “I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown, for automatically mentally putting myself in that position. I thought there was nothing better — that spot, on that stage, on that platform.”