Kendrick Lamar strikes major chord with Super Bowl halftime show
Kendrick Lamar struck a chord with football fans and otherwise—and it's probably a major one—in his Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 10 (Philippine time).
Lamar, headlining the showdown between Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, performed a medley of his chart-toppers old and new, including from his surprise latest album GNX. Here's the setlist:
- squabble up
- HUMBLE.
- DNA.
- euphoria
- man at the garden
- peekaboo
- luther
- All the Stars
- Not Like Us
- tv off
Not Like Us, the explosive and scathing diss track against collaborator-turned-nemesis Drake, was the highly anticipated song in Lamar's performance.
It's regarded as the decisive final blow in Lamar and Drake's feud, which led to them exchanging a series of diss tracks. Drake has filed a defamation suit against their shared label, Universal Music Group, saying the song's release and promotion amounted to defamation and harassment.
UMG has called the accusations "illogical."
Not Like Us features the line, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young," with Lamar calling him "pedophile," among other insults.
In the halftime show, Lamar kept the "young" line but didn't mention "pedophile." He also let the crowd sing the iconic, prolonged "A-minor" lyric.
Some personalities also joined Lamar on stage.
Lamar—wearing a reversed cap, iced-out chains, a varsity jacket, black shirt, black gloves, and blue jeans—rapped and vibed with dancers clad in red, as well as those in blue and white to resemble the American flag. One of the dancers included tennis star Serena Williams.
Samuel L. Jackson served as master of ceremonies dressed up as Uncle Sam, commenting in between some of the songs.
Mustard, the producer of Lamar's Not Like Us, also joined him on stage.
SZA performed with Lamar their collaborations luther and All the Stars.
Days ahead of the performance, Lamar said fans would expect "storytelling."
Lamar last appeared in the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show with hip-hop legends that included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Mary J. Blige.
He had a clean sweep at this year's Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, winning in all five categories for which he was nominated: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video for Not Like Us. He now has 22 Grammys under his name.
Lamar also won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018, the first and only artist outside classical and jazz to win the award.
