Lil Wayne Addresses Cash Money Reunion Absence At Essence Festival

Lil Wayne has touched on his surprising absence from the Cash Money reunion at Essence Festival over the weekend.

While Weezy performed at the New Orleans festival, he was missing from the Cash Money 30-year anniversary celebration which included appearances from Birdman, Mannie Fresh and fellow Hot Boys Juvenile and B.G.

In a lengthy video shared on Instagram on Sunday (July 7), the “A Milli” hitmaker addressed his lack of participation and the disappointment that many fans felt afterwards.

“Funny story: I got hit up by somebody, somebody text me. I guess they had been at the show too long or something and they said, ‘You wrong. You know you should have came out. You wrong, Wayne. You had all these fucking fans out here. You didn’t come. You know you should have,'” he said.

Wayne then revealed his response to the message, coyly saying: “I’m like, ‘What you talking about? The afterparty or something?'”

The Young Money boss didn’t explictly mention Birdman or his former labelmates, but did shout out “all the artists that performed” at Essence Festival.

While the festival was expected to feature a full Cash Money and Hot Boys reunion, the reality was a little more complicated. Lil Wayne performed solo for around 20 minutes after Birdman and co. had finished their set.

All except Juvenile then returned to the stage for a final song after Wayne had concluded his performance.

Weezy also had the Cash Money logo removed during his set and replaced it with the Young Money emblem.

Former Hot Boy Turk was also absent from the event, which was addressed by Juvenile on social media.

“It’s only one n-gga that ain’t in this bitch, you heard me?” he said. “He brought that on hisself. N-gga did a bunch of ho shit, he can’t take it back. He got to fault himself for not being here.”

Turk had previously warned that he would not be appearing at Essence Festival, citing the “business side of it.”

While a Hot Boys reunion tour and album appeared to be on the horizon earlier this year, recent events such as Turk and Wayne’s absence from the Cash Money set and Juvie’s comments about his former comrade look to have cooled the much-anticipated reunion.

Wayne also recently admitted that he knew nothing of a new Hot Boys album despite Juve’s comments to the contrary.

Speaking on NFL star Cam Heywood’s Not Just Football podcast, the New Orleans rap legend was asked about the much-rumored reunion, to which he replied with surprise: “Shit, you just told me!”

He later pushed back against Juvenile’s claims that a Hot Boys album is being worked on: “That’s what he [said]? I ain’t been to the kitchen yet. I would not lie to you, I have not been in that kitchen yet.

“I have no problem with going to that kitchen, but I ain’t smell it, it ain’t come through the window yet. I ain’t smell the food […] They ain’t told me nothing yet.”