By Serena Edwards
Every year, during the beginning of the football season, everyone’s attention is drawn to one thing: the Super Bowl. Naturally, one question at hand is: who’s performing at halftime show? The NFL just announced Kendrick Lamar as the halftime performer for this year’s show. However, there has been discourse on whether or not he deserves to be the halftime performer. This discourse includes peers in the industry, notably Lil Wayne, who does not believe Kendrick deserves the spot. Kendrick just happened to check off more boxes than Lil Wayne. Though some are upset at the decision, in the end, Kendrick is the superior choice for the performance.
Kendrick has been on the rise following his hit single “They Not Like Us,” seemingly winning the rap battle against rapper Drake. As a teenager, Kendrick started rapping in 2003, and later on released his first mixtape under the name K.Dot. Outside of his hit “They Not Like Us,” his other hits include “Poetic Justice” (which ironically features Drake), “HUMBLE”, “Don’t Kill My Vibe”, and more.
Wayne was an artist that paved the way for many artists including Nicki Minaj and Drake. Wayne started rapping at the age of eight and later impressed the brothers of Cash Money Records. Since the beginning of his career, Wayne created many hits including “Lollipop”, “A Milli”, and “6 Foot 7 Foot”. Due to his success in the industry, Wayne expressed that he felt snubbed and overlooked in the choice as the Super Bowl performer. In an Instagram video posted on his account, Wayne stated that for years one of his goals was to perform at the halftime show. He expected that this would be his year because the SuperBowl is being held in New Orleans, and he is a New Orleans native.
Many artists have attacked Jay-Z for snubbing Wayne because he is in charge of who performs at halftime.
Nicki recently went on Twitter to defend Wayne, expressing that he was also overlooked. Wayne is known for paving the way for Nicki and helping her become the artist we know her as today, and in return, Nicki always praises Wayne for his help in her career. Kendrick is also known for introducing new artists such as Baby Keem.
Wayne has undeniable talent and will always have a name in the rap industry. Though Wayne had an influence in the rap industry, he may not have been the best option compared to Kendrick. Kendrick has more hits that are streamed compared to Wayne’s hits. Many of Wayne’s hits are him featured on other artists’ songs, whereas Kendrick has many singles and albums that are hits on their own.
The Super Bowl isn’t also about the songs: it’s about stage presence.When you think about the superbowl, you think about the dynamic stage set up and choreography. Artists like Katy Perry and Rihanna had different costumes and stage props and structures. Outside of that, you have to make the performance somewhat like a time capsule, starting from the newest to the oldest hits or vice versa. Thinking about the history of Super Bowl performances, they consist of dynamic performances with dancers and creativity.
Wayne is known more for his lyrics rather than performances. Kendrick is known for his controversial, but attention grabbing performances.
Another dealbreaker to think of is the demographic that you are trying to cater to. Wayne has more of a Black demographic, whereas Kendrick caters to everyone. For example, when you think of the audience during the halftime performance, you are having many families of many generations tuning in. On the radio you are more likely to hear Kendrick’s songs new and old than Lil Wayne, and that’s not only due to less explicit lyrics, but relevance. The relevance and attention is more on Kendrick because he started later than Wayne did, causing his demographic to be younger.
Throughout Kendrick’s career, he has been able to use his music to talk about controversial topics. His famous song “Alright” touched upon race and the obstacles of being Black in America. In his most recent album, he brought up the normalization of toxic relationships as well as the underrated conversation of mental health. His music is used to cause discussion on overlooked topics.
This isn’t Kendrick’s first time performing at the Super Bowl; he performed in 2022 alongside Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem. This showcased that he already has what it takes to be the main performer. He connected his popular songs and made it into a narrative with just two songs, even tying in the choreography and costumes.
This debate has downplayed the influence Kendrick has also had within the rap industry. The argument in favor of Wayne was that because he was a veteran in the industry he deserves it. This, however, discredits the work Kendrick has put in and continues to put into the rap industry. Kendrick was the right fit for the performance, showing that he continues to be the legendary rapper that he is.