After Kendrick Lamar dropped Lil Wayne's name in the opening track "Wacced Out Murals" of his album GNX, whispers began to swirl that Weezy was eager to clarify the message behind Lamar's lyrics, as recounted by Joe Budden. On the most recent episode of his self-titled podcast, released on Wednesday, November 27th, Budden revealed that Wayne had reportedly reached out to Lamar via phone, but the Compton-born rapper failed to respond.
"I've heard tales of a call being made to gauge the vibe," Budden shared. "Kendrick didn't pick up. Imagine, a rapper-to-rapper call and no answer." Budden further speculated that, feeling snubbed by Lamar's silence, Wayne reportedly headed into the recording studio to craft a response aimed directly at the Compton emcee.
"Now, I'm stepping into the booth," Budden continued. "Kendrick has until I lay down those tracks to get back to me. Word is, Wayne's already in there." Representatives for both Lil Wayne and Kendrick Lamar have been contacted by Billboard for comment.
On the album's opener, Lamar rhymed, "Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain high/ Ironically, my relentless hustle might've let Lil Wayne down." News of Lamar's bars traveled swiftly, and Weezy caught wind of them shortly after GNX's release. On Saturday, November 23rd, he tweeted, "Man, wtf do I do?! Just chilling and they still come for my head. Let's not mistake kindness for weakness. Let the giant slumber. I implore you all. Nobody wants destruction, not even me, but I'll unleash chaos if provoked. On me. Love."
Wayne admitted to being deeply hurt by the NFL's decision to appoint Kendrick as the headliner for the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show next year, an event set to take place in his hometown of New Orleans. This apparent snub seemed to stir tensions between the two artists.
"That hurt. It hurt deeply," he confessed. "You understand what I mean. It hurt a great deal. I blame myself for not mentally preparing for disappointment. For mentally placing myself in that position, as if it was a guaranteed spot. So, I blame myself for that. But I genuinely believed there was nothing better than that stage, that platform, in my city. It hurt. It hurt deeply."
