Kendrick Lamar’s Tremendous Bowl half-time present was one large tease

“I need to play their favorite music… however you already know they like to sue,” mentioned Kendrick Lamar, a few minutes into his Tremendous Bowl half-time present.

Everybody knew what he was referring to. Not Like Us, his brutal takedown of rap rival Drake, was certainly one of final yr’s breakout hits, incomes one billion streams on Spotify and 5 Grammy Awards, together with music of the yr.

However there have been questions over whether or not Lamar would play it – and even may play it – on the Tremendous Bowl, after Drake filed a defamation lawsuit for lyrics that branded him a sexual predator, which he denies.

Lamar leaned into the dilemma, teasing the music time and again throughout his set, earlier than lastly giving the viewers what they wished.

When the music lastly performed, Kendrick self-censored probably the most contentious lyric, during which he calls Drake a “licensed paedophile”.

However he regarded immediately into the digicam with a mischievous grin as he referred to as out Drake’s title; and left intact the music’s infamous double-entendre: “Tryin’ to ring a bell and it is most likely A minor.”

That lyric echoed across the Caesars Superdome in Louisiana, indicating that no quantity of authorized motion may ever hope to decrease the music’s reputation.

In taking part in it, Lamar was anticipated to have reached greater than 120 million TV viewers who had tuned in to see the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tackle the Philadelphia Eagles.

The efficiency was additional heightened by the shock look of tennis star Serena Williams, who carried out the Crip Stroll – a infamous Los Angeles dance transfer – as Lamar prowled the stage.

Drake’s attorneys are suing Lamar’s document label Common Music Group over the monitor, accusing it of attempting to “create a viral hit” out of a music that made “false factual allegations” concerning the star.

Sunday marked the primary time {that a} solo rapper had headlined the Tremendous Bowl, and Lamar introduced an elaborate stage present, filled with dancers, fireworks and particular visitors.

However the rapper’s lyrics have at all times explored the contradictions between ego and self-doubt, and his Tremendous Bowl set put that battle within the highlight.

He carried out on a large noughts and crosses board, flipping between introspective deep cuts (sometimes staged contained in the Xs) and crowd-pleasing chart hits (which occurred within the Os).

Actor Samuel L Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, acted as emcee – berating Lamar when he grew to become too self-indulgent, and praising his duets with R&B singer SZA.

“That is what I am speaking about,” Jackson mentioned, after the duo carried out All The Stars, a ballad from the soundtrack to Marvel’s Black Panther film.

“That is what America desires, good and calm.”

However no matter Lamar carried out, the vitality was electrifying.

Early highlights included Humble and DNA, each taken from the rapper’s Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN, and whose tectonic beats rattled across the stadium.

The set, which is on the market to look at on YouTube, additionally included Squabble Up, Man At The Backyard and one other Drake diss monitor, Euphoria.

In contrast to most Tremendous Bowl performers, Lamar is not a lot of a mover, however he had a charismatic swagger as he walked in line with his dancers; and intelligent staging gave the present momentum – particularly on nervy, angular tracks like Peekaboo.

SZA additionally gave the set a raise, with supple vocals and improbably versatile choreography that helped soften Lamar’s edgier instincts.

Not Like Us was the undoubted climax, however Lamar took a victory lap on the bouncy West Coast anthem TV Off, the place he boasted, “yeah, any person gotta do it“.

He was joined on stage by the music’s producer, Mustard, who clutched a soccer whereas sporting the world’s baggiest denims – earlier than Lamar pointed an imaginary distant management on the digicam and intoned, “Recreation Over”.

For followers, it was a strong efficiency, filled with Easter eggs – together with a snippet of the unreleased music Our bodies.

Informal viewers may need agreed extra with Samuel L Jackson’s plea for Lamar to maintain it mild; particularly as a few of his extra densely-written lyrics have been rendered unintelligible by the stadium’s cavernous echo.

And it was noticeable that Lamar omitted to play his civil rights anthem Alright, in a yr the place the NFL selected to take away the phrase “finish racism” from the tip zone of the soccer area.

The phrase had been current on the Tremendous Bowl since 2020, amid the Black Lives Matter protests – for which Alright had change into the unofficial soundtrack.

Many had anticipated Lamar to make a much bigger assertion, particularly with President Donald Trump in attendance, however the star’s efficiency remained resolutely uncontroversial – except, in fact, your title is Drake.

Nonetheless, Lamar’s present was smooth and streamlined – as many followers had anticipated, after audio of the backing monitor leaked on Thursday.

The one interruption got here on the climax of the 13-minute set, when a protester climbed on prime of Lamar’s black Buick GNX automotive and unfurled a mixed Palestinian and Sudanese flag, earlier than being tackled by safety officers.

The NFL later mentioned in a press release that the protester was a part of the 400-member solid who took half within the present.

The career-spanning set crammed 11 songs into 13 minutes. Here is what Kendrick performed.

1. Our bodies
2. Squabble Up
3. Humble
4. DNA
5. Euphoria
6. Man At The Backyard
7. Peekaboo
8. Luther (with SZA)
9. All The Stars (with SZA)
10. Not Like Us
11. TV Off

Earlier than the present, it had been rumoured that Taylor Swift may swoop down from her VIP suite to affix Lamar on stage.

The pair duetted on a remix of her single Unhealthy Blood in 2015 – and followers hoped they may carry out it dwell for the primary time on the Tremendous Bowl.

Ultimately, Swift opted simply to look at the present, together with different superstar attendees together with Paul McCartney, Stormzy, Woman Gaga, Jay-Z, Ice Spice, Doechii, Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper and Winnie Harlow.

Perhaps it was for one of the best: Some reviews recommended that Swift had been booed on the stadium, the place nearly 80% of followers supported the Philadelphia Eagles, moderately than her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s staff.

Earlier than kick-off, Woman Gaga made a shock look on Bourbon Road, in the course of New Orleans’ historic French Quarter.

The star, who performed her personal Tremendous Bowl half-time present in 2017, performed a touching rendition of her music Maintain My Hand, honouring the victims of the New 12 months’s Day terror assault that claimed the lives of 14 folks within the metropolis.

Gaga was surrounded by first responders as she performed a black child grand piano in the course of the street.

“Right here on Bourbon Road, at all times the guts and soul of New Orleans, this yr started with a terror assault that attempted to shatter its spirit,” mentioned former American footballer Michael Strahan through the pre-filmed phase.

“However the resilience of New Orleans is matched by the resolve of our nation.”

Musical performances earlier than the sport additionally included R&B artist Ledisi, who carried out Elevate Each Voice and Sing, also known as the Black Nationwide anthem, joined by 125 youth choir members.

Musician Troy Andrews, popularly referred to as Trombone Shorty, and Christian singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle performed America the Lovely – giving the monitor a feel-good New Orleans vibe.

And simply earlier than the sport started, New Orleans native Jon Batiste sang the American Nationwide Anthem, including just a few jazz prospers from his multi-coloured grand piano.