Kendrick Lamar‘s historic Super Bowl halftime show has been detailed by his longtime manager and creative partner, Dave Free.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, the pgLang co-founder detailed the creative process behind the electrifying performance, which featured cameos from SZA, Mustard, Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams.
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“We wanted this performance to have a cinematic and theatrical element to it. We can confidently say that there’s no Super Bowl performance that’s quite like this one,” he said.
Free added that he and Kendrick prepared for the event by watching every single Super Bowl halftime performance, drawing particular inspiration from Beyoncé, Prince and Michael Jackson’s shows.
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“The feel of it is Black America. What does Black America look like, and how to control that narrative of what it means to be Black in America versus what the world’s perspective of that is,” he said.
The former TDE executive also addressed Dot’s setlist, which mainly featured Drake diss tracks and songs from his latest album, GNX: “It wasn’t about playing the hits.”
Free additionally confirmed that it all began with a call from JAY-Z, who has helped organize the halftime show since 2020. He said he wasn’t sure if Kendrick would be asked to perform at the game having made an appearance during Dr. Dre‘s all-star set just three years ago, but “it felt like the right time for us.”
Kendrick’s halftime show quickly made headlines for the many jabs aimed at Drake throughout the 15-minute spectacle.
Roughly halfway through his set, the Compton rap star taunted his archrival by saying in a back-and-forth with female backup dancers: “I want to perform their favorite song… but you know they love to sue,” a clear nod to Drizzy’s controversial defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over “Not Like Us.”
During the actual performance of the track, Kendrick self-censored the “certified pedophile” line but smirked to the camera as he rapped: “Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one / To any [bitch] that talk to him and they in love / Just make sure you hide your lil’ sister from him.”
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He also performed the lyrics: “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor,” with enthusiastic help from the capacity crowd.
Another apparent dig at the 6 God came at the very end when the crowd lit up to display the words “Game Over,” which tied in to the video game theme of the performance.
