Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance: Drake’s game is over

Plato’s ideal example of pomp and circumstance is the Super Bowl halftime show, a heavily staged, corporately sponsored musical performance meant to lure non-NFL fans into watching TV so that Doritos and Dunkin’ Donuts can earn even larger advertising revenues. It has never been a place of genuine talent, but it has produced some amazing spectacles over the years, such as Prince performing Purple Rain in the rain and Rihanna revealing her pregnancy while hundreds of dancers in duvet drips looked like sperm. Its most significant scandals, such as MIA’s middle finger and Janet Jackson’s nip slip, have been puerile and teenage.

Lamar started the performance on top of the 1987 Buick Grand National GNX, the unique vehicle that serves as the title of his record. In an early indication that he wasn’t in New Orleans to play crowd-pleasers, he performed an unidentified and unreleased song that was referred to as Bodies on the Kendrick Lamar subreddit. A sense of self-possession was also conveyed by his attire, which included a varsity jacket by British designer Martine Rose and the most amazing boot-cut jeans, which he purchased from American Eagle in the mid-00s.

Dancers in red, white, and blue tracksuits swarmed the stage as the performance warmed up with Squabble Up and Humble. This was an homage to the Americana of the event as well as possibly a sign of solidarity between Compton’s two opposing gangs. As Trump watched (and was rumored to have gone long after), the moment was heavy with significance as the all-African American dance company began to interplay to form the American flag.

Lamar entered a large stage that resembled a concrete Compton street corner as Uncle Sam Jackson yelled at him that he was “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto” (perhaps a preview of how this performance will be evaluated in the red states). This was another amazing set that was

And for an instant, it appeared as though it may be. Rather than jumping right in, he played Luther and All the Stars, his two tracks with SZA, whose high-pitched vocals provided a helpful counterpoint and a more nuanced ambiance to the set. Even Jackson admitted that these more catchy songs would satisfy skeptics at home: “That’s what America wants – nice and calm,” he yelled.

And for an instant, it appeared as though it may be. Rather than jumping right in, he played Luther and All the Stars, his two tracks with SZA, whose high-pitched vocals provided a helpful counterpoint and a more nuanced ambiance to the set. Even Jackson admitted that these more catchy songs would satisfy skeptics at home: “That’s what America wants – nice and calm,” he yelled.

However, it felt exhilarating when Kendrick applied the brakes hard and veered in the other direction, eventually releasing Not Like Us. As he responded, “Hey Drake,” he flashed a crazy smile and looked directly into the camera before embarking into his destructive tirade. He did soften some of the more severe criticism by self-censoring the term “paedophile,” probably at both his Despite the request from his attorneys and censors, he nonetheless screamed the heartbreaking line, “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor,” while holding up enormous flags that depicted little children pointing to a lowercase A. As a last resort, Drake’s ex-girlfriend Serena Williams was spotted crip-walking beside a lamp post. It’s possible that the Chiefs were behind by 27 points.