Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance in New Orleans on Sunday drew criticism from some fans, who labeled it the ‘worst halftime show ever.’
Fresh of his Grammy wins, the rapper, 37, didn’t seem to carry that momentum into his performance at the Caesars Superdome during the showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Pulitzer Prize winner showcased his lyrical prowess as he started out the performance on top of a car before taking a swipe at his hip hop rival Drake, 38.
Despite Drake recently suing his and Lamar’s record label, Universal Music Group, over the controversial diss song, Not Like Us, which calls Drake a ‘certified pedophile’, Kendrick still performed the song, however he omitted the word.
He did, however, deliver two other controversial lines, including ‘Say Drake, I hear you like them young’ and ‘trying to strike a chord and it’s probably a minor,’ as the crowd sang along.
The rapper had a surprise introduction from actor Samuel L. Jackson, 76, who was dressed up as ‘Uncle Sam’, and performed a medley of his hits, before he was joined by R&B singer SZA, 35.
Kendrick Lamar, 37, was slammed for having the ‘worst halftime show ever’ after he hit the stage at the Caesars Superdome for his Super Bowl performance in New Orleans on Sunday
Fresh of his Grammy wins, the rapper didn’t seem to carry that momentum into his performance during the showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs
The Pulitzer Prize winner took a swipe at his hip hop rival Drake during the performance as he performed his diss track Not Like Us
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He finished off his performance with the song Tv Off.
The LA native showcased his lyrical prowess as he started out the performance on top of a car
Despite Drake recently suing his and Lamar’s record label, Universal Music Group, over the controversial song Not Like Us, which calls Drake a ‘certified pedophile’, Kendrick still went on to perform the song
He omitted the word, however he delivered two other controversial lines from the song, rapping, ‘Say Drake, I hear you like them young’ and ‘trying to strike a chord and it’s probably a minor’ as the crowd chanted along
Kendrick also wore a big silver chain pendant with a small letter ‘a’, in another reference to ‘a minor’ in the lyrics
Tennis champion Serena Williams, who was once linked to Drake, was pictured dancing during Not Like Us
The scathing diss track about Drake won Lamar a Grammy for Record of the Year and Song of the Year last weekend
Later in the performance he was joined by SZA, 35
SZA wowed in an all-red look
The rapper was introduced by Samuel L. Jackson
Lamar said he was aiming to infuse his Los Angeles hip-hop flavor into New Orleans while staying true to his storytelling roots during his halftime performance
He was joined by a crew of backup dancers who formed an American flag while dressed in red, white and blue
Lamar’s song Not Like Us – which accuses Drake of being a pedophile – became a viral sensation over the summer as the two artists sparred; Drake pictured in 2022
Lamar’s song Not Like Us became a viral sensation over the summer as the two artists sparred.
The hit diss song has been the subject of litigation from the Canadian rapper, who recently filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group.
In the track, Drake is referred to as a ‘certified pedophile.’
In the federal defamation lawsuit filed earlier this month, the Canadian rapper sued Universal Music Group for spreading the ‘false and malicious narrative’ that he is a pedophile.
Drake says in court documents that UMG knew Lamar’s diss track would include lyrics and images in a music video that referred to him as a pedophile.
He also accused UMG of allowing the ‘inflammatory and shocking allegations’ because the song was a ‘gold mine’ for the company.
It comes after Lamar said he was aiming to infuse his Los Angeles hip-hop flavor into New Orleans while staying true to his storytelling roots during his halftime performance.
‘Being in the now and being just locked-in to how I feel and the energy I have now, that’s the L.A. energy for me,’ he said Thursday at a press conference hosted by Apple Music.