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Kendrick Lamar put Hip Hop entrance and middle on the Tremendous Bowl LIX. On Sunday (Feb. 9) night time, whereas the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs suffered a brutal loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Compton rapper introduced the vitality of his hometown straight into New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome.
Lamar opened his roughly 13-minute set with an unreleased tune, which admittedly was an sudden transfer for one of many greatest televised occasions of the yr. Earlier than segueing into the following monitor, he declared, “The revolution ’bout to be televised / You picked the best time, however the fallacious man.” Fittingly, he adopted it up together with his fifth Billboard Scorching 100 No. 1 monitor, “squabble up,” which, to this point, has amassed over 41 million YouTube views.
However earlier than he may end it, Uncle Sam — performed by Samuel L. Jackson — interjected, “No, no, no. Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you actually know methods to play the sport? Then tighten up.” That led straight into “HUMBLE.” and “DNA.,” two of the rapper’s greatest information from DAMN., arguably his most commercially profitable album.
It will have been nice if Lamar stored the momentum going with chart-topping hits like “m.A.A.d metropolis,” “Cash Timber” and even “Alright”; however, in true Ok. Dot vogue, he was completely unpredictable and gave viewers a dwell rendition of “euphoria,” considered one of his scathing Drake disses launched in April 2024. And the gang went wild!
Lamar then ventured again into GNX territory with “man on the backyard,” considered one of his private favorites off the LP, and “peekaboo” — although, understandably, with out AzChike. Moments later, the night time’s extremely anticipated particular visitor, SZA, hit the stage for the Luther Vandross-sampling “luther,” adopted by 2018’s “All The Stars.”
“That’s what I’m speaking about. That’s what America desires,” Jackson mentioned. “You’re virtually there. Don’t mess this up.” Then got here the second everybody had been ready for: Lamar carried out “Not Like Us” in entrance of over 100 million folks all over the world.
It was simply probably the most electrical moments of the night time, and you may hear it within the crowd’s response. Lamar rapped, “Say, Drake, I hear you want ‘em younger” smiling straight on the digicam, the stands erupted with “a minor,” and in the course of all of it, Serena Williams hit the Crip Stroll — amongst all the opposite issues happening within the background.