Social Media Blows Up Over Kendrick Lamar’s Tremendous Bowl Halftime Present, Drake Hits

The rapper, who mentioned in a press convention on February 6 that he is all about “storytelling” in his music, positively made headlines for the story he informed with all these wins for his diss observe “Not Like Us.”

The observe was simply the newest in a years-long feud between Lamar and Drake, however turned the primary observe to dominate at an awards present. Every time he took the stage to nab one other Grammy, social media lit up with questions on how the Canadian rapper — who was not in attendance — should be taking the night time. And that social response continued Tremendous Bowl Sunday.

For his half, Lamar by no means talked about the topic of the observe that introduced him such trade accolades in any of his acceptance speeches. And he promised that his focus wasn’t on that, both, for the Tremendous Bowl. As an alternative, he mentioned his mission was to deliver the power of LA to the Caesars Superdome.

“Being within the now and being simply locked in to how I really feel and the power I’ve now, that’s the LA power for me,” he mentioned, per At present. “That’s one thing I wished to hold over to New Orleans and for the world to see. That is me. That is Kendrick Lamar, 37 years previous, and I nonetheless really feel like I am elevating, I am nonetheless on a journey.”

Throughout in his 2022 Tremendous Bowl look, Lamar shared the massive stage with large names like Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Mary J. Blige. Forward of Sunday’s large second, Lamar did reveal that SZA — who will quickly be part of him on tour — could be becoming a member of him tonight and, except for DJ Mustard, that was it for collabs.

However, because it turned out, that was nearly sufficient as social media couldn’t get sufficient of SZA’s unimaginable efficiency alongside Lamar. She has the vocals and she or he is aware of the right way to rock the stage, complementing his look with an unimaginable pink ensemble of her personal.

Past these two musicians, nicely they weren’t the one superstars to hit the stage.. Whereas the music was all Kendrick Lamar (and SZA) from begin to end, he did get a celebrity introduction — and a number of judgment all through — by Samuel L. Jackson as your overly patriotic “uncle, Sam.”

He was there because the voice of warning, warning Lamar to maintain his present what mainstream America may need, specializing in the hits. “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. Mr. Lamar do you actually know the right way to play the sport? Tighten up!” he warned at one level.

However Lamar was going to do that present his means, and he stayed true to his imaginative and prescient all through.

Oh, and what about Drake and “Not Like Us”? Properly, suffice to say that Lamar not simply went there however all the way in which there on the diss observe, with a glance proper into the digicam at one level as he delivered a scathing line.

Earlier than he even bought began, too, he paused with a gaggle of ladies to speak about whether or not or to not carry out the observe, saying, “I wish to carry out their favourite music, however you realize they like to sue.” As such, he did skip the observe’s “licensed pedophile” line, however in any other case went in for the kill.

There’s the lower-case “A Minor” chain, as identified by many on social media, and … nicely … Serena Williams was out right here crip-walking on the Tremendous Bowl as the group went wild and the observe performed. For individuals who do not know, Drake and Williams dated practically 15 years in the past.

Let’s simply say, all of the shade didn’t go unnoticed on social media.

There was a lot else for followers to get enthusiastic about, too, as Lamar trotted out a roster of his best hits, together with fan-favorites “HUMBLE” and “DNA,” in addition to “Euphoria,” “Squabble Up,” “Man on the Backyard,” “Peekaboo,” “Not Like Us,” and “TV Off,” whereas SZA joined him for “Luther” and, in fact, “All of the Stars.”

In lieu of a stage, the rapper had a avenue arrange down the sphere, with aspect levels for various highlight moments all through the efficiency.

There have been putting visible photographs, too, along with his dancers adorned in pink, white, and blue and even taking the form of an American flag at one level. Of observe for a lot of on-line was that Lamar was singing “HUMBLE” in the course of this flag, questioning if it was a not-so-subtle message for President Trump, who was in attendance.

It was a playful and highly effective set, talking fact to energy and presenting Kendrick’s fact to a wider viewers than may in any other case be accustomed to his prowess on the mic — and even perhaps extra importantly, with the pen.

A number of moments a couple of years in the past confirmed the world that Kendrick Lamar is not like anybody else in music, with a imaginative and prescient and method to his artistry that is completely his personal. He is a strong storyteller and visionary.

Sunday, he proved to be the fruition of his personal greatness. When given the most important stage on the earth, Kendrick Lamar rose to the event with a much bigger and bolder present that did not lose any of the intimacy and private introspection that defines his artistry.

And lengthy after the sport commenced, music followers had been nonetheless hitting social media, reeling over  Lamar placing a punctuation mark on his Grammys wins within the Drake feud — questioning how Drake is perhaps dealing with it — and each different second of his immediately iconic efficiency.