For the second time in 4 years, Los Angeles famous person rapper Kendrick Lamar was centre stage for right this moment’s Tremendous Bowl half-time present, and this time he bought to maintain the highlight for himself.
Not like many Tremendous Bowl half-time reveals, the set did not use a lot in the way in which of huge, flashy manufacturing, relying as an alternative on Kendrick’s arresting wordplay and abilities on the mic and a few unbelievable choreography to make an affect.
A little bit star energy helped too. The long-lasting Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, launched the present and appeared as a recurrent character all through the set.
After Jackson’s introduction, Lamar did what he does greatest: spat a deft, rapid-fire string of strains from his latest monitor, ‘Our bodies’.
Kendrick Lamar kicks off the Tremendous Bowl LIX half-time present by performing Squabble Up off newest album GNX.
(Jamie Squire/Getty Pictures)
He did so in entrance of a Buick Grand Nationwide GNX, the identical make of car he was pushed dwelling from the hospital in as a child, and the namesake of his newest album, hinting on the set record to come back.
He likes his new stuff higher than his outdated stuff
Earlier than the present, hypothesis about Lamar’s set record was rife: Lamar has a wealth of fabric to attract from throughout his six albums, however feedback he made final week prompt there’d be a better deal with his most up-to-date materials.
“It’s extremely laborious for me to reside prior to now,” Kendrick stated in final week’s Tremendous Bowl Half-time Present press convention.
“That is me, that is Kendrick Lamar, 37 years outdated and I nonetheless really feel like I am elevating, I am nonetheless on the journey, although, you realize? I would like that vitality to ooze out into the televisions and to the those who’s in that constructing.”
Positive sufficient, the set featured 5 songs from GNX, the album he dropped on us unexpectedly late final yr, and nothing launched previous to 2017.
It is a massive name, contemplating the depth of his catalogue, however given he performed two of his most enduring earlier hits in his 2022 efficiency, one cannot blame him for eager to showcase the place he is at now.
After the intro, he gave us ‘Squabble Up’, one of many livelier singles from GNX, which he performed flanked by a crew of dancers who, at one stage, shaped into an American flag.
The efficiency had a transparent color scheme: purple, white and blue. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Pictures)
Two songs from acclaimed 2017 album DAMN. adopted — Hottest 100 winner ‘HUMBLE.’ and the arresting ‘DNA.’ — earlier than the feud between Kendrick and Drake inevitably got here to the fore due to a style of final yr’s ‘Euphoria’, which Kendrick launched early within the notorious battle.
Given GNX is a mere few months outdated, the Tremendous Bowl finally ends up being the primary time songs like ‘Man At The Backyard’ and ‘Peekaboo’ had been aired. Whereas they are not but classics, in addition they do not essentially appear misplaced on such a giant stage.
Kendrick subsequent teased his mega hit and Drake diss monitor ‘Not Like Us’ to an enormous roar from the gang however rapidly sidestepped it, cryptically saying “I wish to play their favorite music, however you realize they like to sue.”
As an alternative, he launched into ‘Luther’ and ‘All The Lights’, the 2 songs that includes SZA, who was in usually dazzling kind.
SZA joined Kendrick Lamar to carry out two of their collaborations: Luther from Lamar’s 2024 album GNX, and All The Stars from the Black Panther soundtrack. (Jamie Squire/Getty Pictures)
The group does ultimately get what they need when the bouncing beat of ‘Not Like Us’ comes again. This time, Kendrick would not lower it brief. He skipped the phrase ‘paedophile’, however not the lyric “Tryna ring a bell and it is most likely A-Minor”, which the gang gleefully roars in unison.
The set ended with one other spotlight from the brand new album. Kendrick collaborator Mustard clutched a soccer as Kendrick carried out ‘TV Off’ as his massive send-off. At its conclusion, the stadium went darkish and illuminated bracelets within the crowd spelled out the phrases GAME OVER.
Whether or not meaning Kendrick is placing a full cease on the Drake beef, or simply making a cute soccer pun for no purpose, we’ll want to attend and see.
Who joined Kendrick on stage and why?
Tremendous Bowl half-time reveals are famend for shock collaborations, however Kendrick did not dig round within the Rolodex an excessive amount of for this yr’s present.
Samuel L Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam throughout Kendrick Lamar’s Tremendous Bowl LIX half-time Present.
(Chris Graythen/Getty Pictures)
Samuel L. Jackson was undoubtedly the largest shock, his look was fantastically woven into the set to offer a by way of line.
We already knew that SZA, a worldwide famous person in her personal proper, would be a part of Kendrick and her voice gave the efficiency an injection of grandiose class as she belted out the anthemic choruses.
Mustard, who has been a producer of some renown for a few years, is having an actual second within the solar proper now. Kendrick’s screaming of his title in ‘TV Off’ went viral following its launch late final yr, and in simply the previous week, he is been centre stage on the Grammys accepting an award, and on the sector on the Tremendous Bowl clutching a soccer.
Mustard, the producer behind Not Like Us, joined Kendrick Lamar in the course of the Tremendous Bowl efficiency. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Pictures)
Mustard produced three songs on GNX, however you’ll have additionally heard his work with Rihanna, Roddy Ricch, Ty Greenback Signal and extra through the years.
Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed one other large celeb dancing onstage. Tennis nice Serena Williams additionally hails from Compton, California, the identical dwelling city as Kendrick, and was rumoured to be been romantically concerned with Drake within the early 2010s.
Serena Williams made a cameo, dancing on the soccer discipline throughout Not Like Us. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Pictures)
Enlisting your enemy’s ex-partner to bop onstage when you rap about him being a sexual legal in entrance of an estimated viewers of 120 million individuals, was one more brutal physique blow in what’s more and more changing into a one-way combat between the 2 rappers.
Kendrick Lamar Tremendous Bowl Half-time set record
Squabble Up
HUMBLE.
DNA.
Euphoria
Man on the Backyard
Peekaboo
Luther (that includes SZA)
All The Stars (that includes SZA)
Not Like Us
TV Off
Meet up with all of the Tremendous Bowl motion over on the ABC Information reside weblog.
