Kendrick Lamar Brings Viral Diss Track to Super Bowl Stage
NEW YORK
Kendrick Lamar commanded one of the world’s most high-profile stages Sunday as the Super Bowl’s halftime headliner, yet another feather in the cap of the rap laureate who has ascended to new heights of pop stardom.
“Not Like Us” Debuts
Lamar performed a string of his classics while toying with his audience who had one major question: would he perform “Not Like Us”, the searing diss track that served as the knockout blow in his eyebrow-raising rap battle with Drake?
In a word? Yes.
The wildly infectious hit released in May 2024 hears the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lamar – the first solo rap artist to helm a halftime show at the Super Bowl, which this year saw the Philadelphia Eagles pummel the Kansas City Chiefs – use his punchlines to accuse Drake of paedophilia.
A Bold Performance
Lamar cut the profanity and the word “paedophile” but didn’t stop short of the money line, rapping “tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-minoooooor” on live television in front of tens of thousands of spectators and an estimated 100 million viewers.
In delivering the lyric “say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young,” Lamar stared right into the camera, dancing on the Canadian rapper’s rap-battle grave while sporting a chain with a massive pendant – a lower-case a.
Drake’s Lawsuit
The performance is all but sure to kick off more legal wrangling: Drake, the reigning highest-grossing rapper, recently filed a bombshell defamation suit against his own record label Universal Music Group, which also represents Lamar.
Drake is notably suing UMG and not Lamar himself, but questions abounded leading into the Super Bowl set over whether performing the song on one of the top global stages could open the door to further litigation.
A Set for the Ages
“Not Like Us” dominated the set but it was also a performance that paid homage to the 37-year-old rapper’s expansive oeuvre.
Born in Compton, California, the artist is renowned as one of contemporary music’s most impactful writers, with his verses offering personal insights that take on systemic issues such as race relations and structural poverty.
A Symbolic Critique
Lamar brought some of that energy to the Super Bowl stage, which included set narrator, the actor Samuel L Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, a character emblematic of American patriotism that has frequently appeared in military propaganda.
Lamar didn’t make any direct references to Donald Trump – who several weeks into his second go at the presidency attended the game – but rather used the platform to offer a more symbolic critique of the marginalized treatment of both hip hop and Black Americans at large.
A Protester Interrupts the Performance
A protestor who unfurled a flag in support of Gaza and Sudan during the performance, a moment production company Roc Nation told AFP was not rehearsed.
“The individual hid the item on his person and unveiled it late in the show,” said the NFL, who added the protestor was part of the 400-member field cast.
The protester was seen in AFP photos standing atop Lamar’s centrepiece car, wielding the flag emblazoned with images of heart and a fist as well as the words “Gaza” and “Sudan.”
The person was later tackled and escorted out by security.
Conclusion
Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance was a masterclass in controversy and artistry, cementing his status as one of the most innovative and provocative figures in contemporary music.
FAQs
Q: Is Kendrick Lamar the first solo rap artist to helm a halftime show at the Super Bowl?
A: Yes, he is the first solo rap artist to do so.
Q: Who is Kendrick Lamar accusing of paedophilia in his song “Not Like Us”?
A: Drake.
Q: Did Drake file a lawsuit against Kendrick Lamar over the performance?
A: No, Drake sued his record label Universal Music Group, not Kendrick Lamar.
Q: What was the outcome of the protestor who interrupted the performance?
A: The protestor was tackled and escorted out by security.