Kendrick Lamar‘s Super Bowl halftime performance in New Orleans on Sunday drew criticism from some fans, who labeled it the ‘worst halftime show ever.’
Fresh off his Grammy wins, the rapper, 37, didn’t seem to carry that momentum into his performance at the Caesars Superdome, as he hit the stage before the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Pulitzer Prize winner showcased his lyrical prowess as he started out the performance on top of a car before taking a swipe at his hip hop rival Drake, 38.
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Despite Drake recently suing his and Lamar’s record label, Universal Music Group, over the controversial diss song, Not Like Us, which calls Drake a ‘certified pedophile’, Kendrick still performed the song, however, he omitted the word.
He did go on to deliver two other controversial lines, including ‘Say Drake, I hear you like them young’ and ‘trying to strike a chord and it’s probably a minor,’ as the crowd sang along.
The rapper had a surprise introduction from actor Samuel L. Jackson, 76, who was dressed up as ‘Uncle Sam’, and performed a medley of his hits, before he was joined by R&B singer SZA, 35.
Kendrick Lamar, 37, was slammed for having the ‘worst halftime show ever’ after he hit the stage at the Caesars Superdome for his Super Bowl performance in New Orleans on Sunday
Fresh off his Grammy wins, the rapper didn’t seem to carry that momentum into his performance during the showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs
Kendrick also wore a big silver chain pendant with a small letter ‘a’, in another reference to ‘A minor’ in the lyrics.
The scathing diss track about Drake won Lamar a Grammy for Record of the Year and Song of the Year last weekend.
Released last May, the viral song saw Kendrick sensationally accuse Drake of being a ‘certified pedophile’ and pursuing minors. Drake denied the allegations in his rebuttal track The Heart Part 6, saying his was ‘not a name you gon’ see on no sex offender list’.
At one point during the charged performance a man with a Palestine flag tried to storm the halftime show but was intercepted by security.
Fans inside the stadium saw the drama unfold but TV cameras didn’t show it to viewers.
Kendrick rocked a blue and white jacket, a black shirt, blue jeans and a backwards hat.
He was joined by a crew of backup dancers who formed an American flag while dressed in red, white and blue.
At one point during the performance Jackson returned, and told the crowd: ‘Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game?’
Lamar perfumed wacced out murals, Bodies, Squabble, Euphoria, Humble, DNA, man at the garden, and Peekaboo by himself, before he was joined by SZA.
The duo performed their collabs Luther and All the Stars. SZA wowed in an all-red look.
He finished off his performance with the song Tv Off.
The LA native showcased his lyrical prowess as he started out the performance on top of a car
Despite Drake recently suing his and Lamar’s record label, Universal Music Group, over the controversial song Not Like Us, which calls Drake a ‘certified pedophile’, Kendrick still went on to perform the song
He omitted the word, however he delivered two other controversial lines from the song, rapping, ‘Say Drake, I hear you like them young’ and ‘trying to strike a chord and it’s probably a minor’ as the crowd chanted along
Kendrick also wore a big silver chain pendant with a small letter ‘a’, in another reference to ‘a minor’ in the lyrics
Tennis champion Serena Williams, who was once linked to Drake, was pictured dancing during Not Like Us
Unlike some of the fans, the athlete appeared to enjoy the show as she danced to the Drake diss track
The scathing diss track about Drake won Lamar a Grammy for Record of the Year and Song of the Year last weekend
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Later in the performance he was joined by SZA, 35
Lamar said he was aiming to infuse his Los Angeles hip-hop flavor into New Orleans while staying true to his storytelling roots during his halftime performance
He was joined by a crew of backup dancers who formed an American flag while dressed in red, white and blue
Lamar’s song Not Like Us – which accuses Drake of being a pedophile – became a viral sensation over the summer as the two artists sparred; Drake pictured in 2022
Fans blasted the show on social media, with one writing, ‘worst halftime show ever not a fan.’
‘I genuinely can’t tell if I’m being biased against Kendrick but I think this is the worst halftime show I’ve seen in a minute,’ another added.
‘I thought The Weekend was bad but Kendrick Lamar took that spot! Worst half time show ever!’
‘So far the best part of the halftime show is Samuel L Jackson,’ another complained.
‘Somehow Kendrick is worse than the game itself.’
‘This half time show at The Super Bowl by Kendrick Lamar is hot garbage… Worst of all time…’ another wrote.
Lamar’s song Not Like Us became a viral sensation over the summer as the two artists sparred.
The hit diss song has been the subject of litigation from the Canadian rapper, who recently filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group. In the track, Drake is referred to as a ‘certified pedophile.’
In the federal defamation lawsuit filed earlier this month, the Canadian rapper sued Universal Music Group for spreading the ‘false and malicious narrative’ that he is a pedophile.
Drake says in court documents that UMG knew Lamar’s diss track would include lyrics and images in a music video that referred to him as a pedophile.
He also accused UMG of allowing the ‘inflammatory and shocking allegations’ because the song was a ‘gold mine’ for the company.
Prior to the performance there was much debate about whether Kendrick would perform the diss track
Kendrick rocked a blue and white jacket, a black shirt, blue jeans and a backwards hat
Lamar perfumed wacced out murals, Bodies, Squabble, Euphoria, Humble, DNA, man at the garden, and Peekaboo by himself, before he was joined by SZA
The duo performed their collabs Luther and All the Stars
