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.
“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.
“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.”
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.
That’s not what the Super Bowl is as Kendrick stans and west coast glazers put it. But I don’t blame Kendrick or Dave I blame Jay Z and the NFL. It should have been Lil Wayne and New Orleans but he was robbed! Hopefully Shawn Carter and Beyoncd join their friend Sean Combs in jail.
So bitter, so gay. You really are PMSing about this. You OvHoes are pathetic. You guys dick ride Drake so much that you all deserve ESPYs. How many months pregnant are you now?
The suburban woke black audience is defending Kendrick like crazy people like Shawn Cee, Dee Shanell, the usual suspects that Fantano white rodent face guy and the black beaver face guy with the dreads. They all put down Wayne and defended Kendrick being here falsely claiming Wayne isn’t the super bowl Kendrick isn’t the super bowl Wayne’s music is actually known unlike Kendrick he would have made the show about New Orleans No Limit, Cash Money, and Boosie would have been there Wayne probably would have brought 2 Chainz and had Trump pardon YoungBoy but no instead this trash happens. I feel only boomers like Kendrick this much it’s really cringe now.
Homosexual Drake drama queens are losing it right now. It’s like somebody stole their vibrators or their favorite gay nightclub was closed down or something.
Lil wayne no new music
After this I don’t think we see rap or hip hop at a super bowl again. They’ll use country next maybe and then K pop and J pop.
Or G-Pop aka Gay Pop aka Drake
Nah. Sabrina Carpenter gonna be next year. Watch.
Damn Drake groupies are raging like someone denied them their yearly 🌈 pride parade 😆
Kendrick fans hated the performance too. And yes, the drake show at Australia was much better
Nahan – finding ways to cope.
Bro, I don’t get what’s wrong with Kendrick fans at this point. I’ve always hated in Drakw, once liked Kendrick… yall can’t admit Kendrick sucks nowadays too. Again, Drake always sucked, and Kendrick sucks now too.
Forgot to add on though that I respect Kendrick for calling out Drake and exposing him on a national stage.
Say Drake, I hear you like em gay, No wonder all your fans, always lean that way.
Imagine all the outrage if the entire half time show featured all white people…
Good point. Totally divisive. Defeats all efforts at assimilation. Actually hateful and if not then just plane obtuse, totally tone deaf. No redeeming qualities.. bye
Yeah I mean, it’d be nice to see a more wide ranging show at this point. Like a cool idea nowadays would be a show that covers all the groups and touches on Rock, Country, and HipHop. Do all three, everyone’s happy, and have an underlying theme, and possibly a one time collaboration between these artists of different genres. Kinda like how Run DMC did the song with Aerosmith. That and, I don’t like modern hiphop, so these shows suck to me. I saw Wutang love a few years ago… they’d do a much more enjoyable show. The past few years have been big stage shows, not really showcasing special talents.
Tha messages lmfaoo noon gives a fk. About a message. It’s the Superbowl not Malcolm x awareness day loll shit was wack end of.
But he literally played the hits lol. He just didn’t play the before 2017 hits. I swear this whole pgLang thing is a sorry attempt to be enigmatic. Like bruh, he played humble, loyalty, all the stars, tv off, not like us
you have to find positive examples of black america in history because it wasn’t what happened at the super bowl