As we get closer to Super Bowl Sunday, the anticipation for Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance is only growing. Hip-hop fans are theorizing what songs Lamar will perform, what guests will come out during the show, and whether he’ll actually say the lyrics to that one song.
In a recent interview with Apple Music, the Compton rapper gave some insight into what fans could expect during his show, saying that they should expect “a story to be told.”
With that in mind, let’s look at everything we know will happen during Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance.
“Not Like Us” will be performed
Initially, there was doubt if Lamar would perform “Not Like Us” during the performance. Especially since Drake filed a defamation and harassment lawsuit accusing Universal Music Group of approving a smear campaign in the form of the popular diss track, which alleged that the Toronto rapper is a “certified pedophile.”
But in a recent report from TMZ, sources connected to Lamar, Fox Sports, and the NFL have confirmed that the Compton rapper is assuredly performing the hit track, which just took home five Grammys.
The only thing the lawyers of Fox Sports have to decide is whether they will broadcast the lyrics that allegedly defame Drake.
SZA guest performance
Just a couple of months after it was announced that Lamar and SZA would be going on the Grand National Tour, the duo also shared their plans to perform at the Superdome in New Orleans.
The duo has collaborated on several hit tracks, including three in just the last six months: “Luther,” “Gloria” and “30 for 30.”
That doesn’t even include the other beloved songs they have together which include “All the Stars” and “Doves In the Wind.”
Lil Wayne won’t be there
From the moment it was announced that Lamar would be the headliner for the Super Bowl, Lil Wayne fans were extremely disappointed since he’s a legendary rapper who happens to be from New Orleans. This elicited a response from the man himself, who claimed that he was “hurt” he wasn’t chosen for the show.
This caused fans to attempt to create a feud between them, which was later heightened when Lamar name-dropped Wayne in the intro to his latest studio album, “GNX.”
Thankfully, the two spoke to each other and squashed any problems. During a December interview with Skip Bayless, where Wayne said, “I’ve spoken to him and I wished him all the best and told him he better kill it. He gotta kill it.”
Although he gave Lamar his props and hoped that his performance would go well, he recently shared that he won’t be attending the big game in his hometown, saying in a video, “Y’all know I’m not going to be there this week. Which means I guess there’s a seat to fill. Shoutout to New Orleans.”
Other pre-game performances
Jon Batiste, who is from New Orleans, will be singing “The Star Spangled Banner” before the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles kicks off.
Before Batiste, New Orleans-based R&B singer Ledisi will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” a hymn written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900.
Musician Trombone Shorty and Christian singer Lauren Daile will also sing a rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
Lastly, following the tradition of HBCU bands performing at the Super Bowl, Southern University’s band, The Human Jukebox, will be performing during the pregame show.