NEW ORLEANS (CelebrityAccess) — Kendrick Lamar made history in New Orleans on Sunday night as the first solo rap artist to headline the NFL championship Super Bowl.
Lamar, renowned for his impact on West Coast rap and his advocacy for civil rights, electrified the Superdome, captivating 65,000 fans and an audience of 37 million households across the U.S. His set featured a medley from his recent album, GNX, including the Grammy-winning hit “Not Like Us,” a focal point in his ongoing clash with Canadian rapper Drake.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson joined Lamar on stage, humorously portraying a caricature of Uncle Sam, advising Lamar on his critique of America’s racial climate, cautioning him against being “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.”
Among Lamar’s performances were tracks like “Man at the Garden,” “Peekaboo,” and “Luther,” where he was joined by SZA. Their collaboration extended to a snippet of “All the Stars” from the Black Panther soundtrack before seamlessly transitioning back to “Not Like Us.”
The show stirred controversy when a backup dancer unfurled a banner featuring the flags of Palestine and Sudan, accompanied by a heart and a fist, promptly escorted offstage by stadium security.
Reactions were mixed; while some, like AP’s Maria Sherman, lauded the performance, others, including Advance Media’s Bobby Olivier, critiqued it as “dull” and “strained.” Viewership statistics indicated a slight decline in halftime show viewership compared to the previous year, per data from media analytics company Samba TV.
