ceofari
Football fans that are unfamiliar with Kendrick Lamar had no idea what they were watching Sunday night during Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome.
Arguably, never before has a halftime show left fans so divided, and confused. Sports fans with no interest in rap were supremely underwhelmed by Lamar’s performance, and were likely wishing for any other artist to appear and play something familiar. Lamar’s fans, however, were watching history unfold before their eyes. The halftime show failed to entertain the masses, but it was a defining moment in the rap game and Lamar used the sports arena for his own personal gain. The rapper performed a diss track aimed at Drake, taking fire at his arch nemesis despite facing a defamation lawsuit for his lyrical accusations of the fellow star.
Essentially, a diss war between rappers took over the Super Bowl halftime show in a display of personal politics that unfolded in front of unsuspecting sports fans.
In one bold sweep, Lamar reigned supreme by mopping the floor with Drake’s reputation while performing his Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping hit single, “Not Like Us.”
He dared to perform the diss track live, during the biggest moment in American sports so far this year, an unlikely forum for such disputes.
For those unfamiliar with the track, the song accuses Drake of being a pedophile, and uses clever wording such as “I hear you like ’em young you better not ever go to cell block one.” In another verse, Lamar rapped, “Why you trollin’ like a bitch? Ain’t you tired? Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-minor,” a reference to underage women.
Those who are aware of the feud between the men know that the cover art for Lamar’s single featured an edited aerial view of Drake’s Toronto estate, while highlighting the homes of convicted offenders.
Lamar fans went wild when he savagely smeared Drake’s image by bringing Drake’s ex- girlfriend, Serena Williams, to the stage, knowing that Drake was infatuated with her after briefly dating the athlete in 2011. His menacing ways were appreciated by those that kept up with his war against Drake.
The rapper’s halftime show intentionally included Samuel L. Jackson, who joined the party’s heavy American theme by appearing as “Uncle Sam” and narrating the performance.
Fans and music critics agreed that this performance cemented Lamar’s victory in the feud against Drake, who previously filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group for failing to prevent Lamar from making “damaging and defamatory accusations” with the release of “Not Like Us.”
Those who were unaware of, or were indifferent to the rap feud, were left baffled by what they were seeing, and were largely disappointed by the halftime show.
