Tyler, The Creator could pop out as a special guest during Kendrick Lamar‘s Super Bowl halftime show next month — at least that’s what fans are speculating after the latest promo for the big performance.
The trailer, which was released on Thursday (January 23), features a number of possible clues that might be hinting at a Kendrick-Tyler link-up on the world’s biggest stage.
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For starters, the 30-second video features a group of people marching in the background of the football field setting, which some have interpreted as a nod to the military aesthetic of Tyler’s latest album Chromakopia.
Tyler himself also commented on Kendrick’s Instagram post of the Super Bowl promo, leaving a simple yet cryptic zombie emoji — seemingly alluding to the marchers.
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Additionally, the clip features a brief snippet of Dot’s GNX track “Hey Now” — a somewhat unusual choice given the bigger popularity of other album cuts such as “Squabble Up,” “TV Off” and “Luther” — which was recently remixed by Tyler.
Tyler is also no stranger to making surprise appearances during historic Kendrick Lamar performances as he showed up at his Pop Out concert in Inglewood last summer with no prior announcement.
The possible easter eggs had social media buzzing, with one fan writing: “So we’re all just not gonna talk about how they teased Tyler The Creator performing at the Super Bowl halftime show in that SZA announcement video??”
Another commented: “98% sure that Tyler is gonna be a guest for the Super Bowl, the people in the background and choosing Hey Now specifically just makes me feel like he’s gonna bring him out to do his verse from the remix or maybe Sticky or smth.”
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A third speculated: “I KNEW Kendrick was gon bring out SZA for the Super Bowl! But y’all peep the people marching in the back?!… I think Tyler will be a special guest as well.”
Kendrick has yet to comment on the rumors and it’s possible that there is no truth to them.
After all, the extras in the Super Bowl commercial could instead be a nod to Kendrick’s most recent tour, the Big Steppers Tour, which saw him joined onstage by marching backup dancers.
The marching could also merely be an extension of the military theme in his initial Super Bowl halftime show anouncement video, which contained references to the 1970 film Patton, based on the World War II U.S. General George S. Patton.
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While fans continue to dissect and debate over the footage, Kendrick Lamar has confirmed at least one special guest for his upcoming performance: SZA.
In the aforementioned trailer, the Compton rapper can be seen talking on the phone and as he begins to say he’s been “thinking about a guest performer,” the SOS singer appears from behind and dumps Gatorade on him.
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Taking place on February 9, the Super Bowl halftime show will serve as a warm-up for the duo’s co-headlining tour across North America, which kicks off in April.
