The Game admits he was “hurt” about being excluded from the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.
The Compton-bred rapper revisited the topic in an upcoming episode of I Am Athlete with Brandon Marshall, Pacman Jones and Nick “ Swaggy P” Young. Though he considered the halftime show a “win for the culture,” he insisted he deserved a spot on the stage, alongside fellow L.A. artists.
“The real reason I wasn’t on the Super Bowl [Halftime Show] is because I’m not a ‘safe’ artist,’” he explained in a teaser. “You don’t know what the Game gon’ do when he get up there. So, it’s just like, ‘He not safe,’ so they went with the safe artists.”
The show was headlined by Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige, with special appearances by 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak. Many considered the performance a love letter to L.A. rap culture, despite several of the artists not being from the area. The Game said he believes he should’ve been involved in the show along with Compton native YG.
“We, on the West Coast, are the only motherfuckers who have this crab-in-a-barrel mentality, where we wanna keep n***as down …” he explained. “Snoop Dogg is icon. Dre is icon. Em is an icon, but Em is not from L.A. 50 is not from L.A. I’m not taking away from the fact that they’re were on the Super Bowl, but L.A. [artists] wouldn’t have been in the Detroit Super Bowl or New York Super Bowl. It just wouldn’t have happened … L.A., L.A., L.A. all around the Super Bowl and I didn’t get the call.”
When asked how that made him feel, the Game said, “I was hurt by that.”
The Game said he had no issues with the performers, but believes Dre should’ve at least contacted him to explain why he wasn’t included.
“I talk to Dre often. I just know if I was Dre and he was Game, he would’ve been up there,” he continued. “That’s just it. It’s L.A. I am L.A. I’m in the streets … So, yeah, I was hurt. Now am I bothered by it today? I’m not bothered by it today.”
You can hear the Game’s comments in the preview above. The full episode airs at noon ET Monday.