Kendrick Lamar Televised His Revolution On The World’s Biggest Stage
HuffPost
Instead of revisiting the past, the rap titan’s Super Bowl performance focused on the now — from his latest album to the current state of a divided America.
Ever since he was coronated as the new King of West Coast rap over a decade ago, Kendrick Lamar has lived up to his own hype. Whether winning accolades in the name of hip-hop, using his spotlight to make pointed political statements or conjuring up the most savage rap beef since Tupac and Biggie (and coming out victorious), the Compton superstar has a knack for being the moment — and defining the next.
Lamar did so in 2024, when he squabbled with rap adversary Drake. He punctuated the century’s most sensational battle with an eviscerating diss track unlike any we’ve ever seen (“Not Like Us” won a record five Grammy Awards last weekend) and restored rap’s competitive spirit.
The culture-shifting aftermath — which included the rap titan’s victory lap music video and the debut performance of his chart-topping diss at “The Pop Out” concert on Juneteenth — paved the way for Lamar to perform at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show in New Orleans Sunday night, upping his milestone tally yet again.
We can argue that the opportunity arose solely because of Drake and Lamar’s verbal sparing last year. But even without the controversy, the latter’s remarkable career run was enough to clinch him a headlining spot that’s only been awarded to music’s upper echelon.
The event’s timing, coinciding with his epic year, was too perfect to pass up.
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