Desiree Perez, CEO of Roc Nation, is clearing up why Kendrick Lamar was chosen as the headliner for the Super Bowl Halftime show. Despite claims that it was done to slight Lil Wayne, she confirmed that it was more about “the pulse of the times.”
During a recent interview with NOLA.com, she shared why Lamar was chosen, even though he’s not a native of New Orleans.
She told the outlet, “New Orleans is so rich in culture. We have to take into consideration (that) whoever is going to perform can speak to music culture, regardless of age. It has to nod to real music, regardless of the genre. And Kendrick does that. Kendrick’s richness and culture is really a nod to New Orleans.”
Despite the outrage from Lil Wayne fans after Lamar was announced, Perez says that he was considered.
She even felt bad for the legendary New Orleans MC once she learned he was disappointed that he wasn’t chosen, saying, “Aww…I actually didn’t know he had said that. We love that everybody wants to be on the stage, that we’ve completely changed the conversation to fighting for it versus boycotting. We’ve come a long way.”
Fortunately, Lamar and Wayne have also settled any tension between them, with Wayne saying during a December interview, “I’ve spoken to him and I wished him all the best and told him he better kill it. He gotta kill it.”
Perez also gave an in-depth look into how the halftime show has drastically changed since Roc Nation partnered with the NFL, pointing out that the 2019 Super Bowl in Atlanta was a turning point.
She said, “People were not happy with the show in Atlanta… The goal was to get the halftime show to be something that artists are excited to perform at. How do we make this about the music and the moment, and not about everything else that’s going on around it.”
Since then, the halftime show has been extremely diverse. They have highlighted several Black artists, including The Weeknd, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Alicia Keys, and others.
Without Roc Nation’s involvement, some of them may never had a chance to perform on such a stage.