By Arren Joseph-White (edited by: Marty, Abbie) MIKE
The Super Bowl Halftime Show is often called the “World’s Biggest Stage” and is generally reserved for artists of major success and accomplishment. Artists like Beyonce, Prince, and Michael Jackson over the years have taken the stage with iconic performances. This year, Kendrick Lamar was the first hip-hop artist to solo headline the Halftime show, which sparked drama and controversy all over.
Kendrick’s style does not rely too much on theatrics, but nevertheless the choreography elevated the performance. The dancers came together to create an unforgettable experience. The costumes of red, white, and blue jumpsuits were designed to convey a message of a divided America. The dancers ebb and flow with each song—bringing energy when needed, and when things slowed down, they were able to keep up with that change of pace. In its entirety, it was simple but powerful.
One thing that was not taken lightly was the camerawork. The camera made sure to show everything in all its glory, from the stage to the dancers to Kendrick himself. The camerawork walked the watcher through the minimalist setting of the stage, which was decorated with lights to appear like one big game controller. The stage was utilized in every way, and the camerawork showed that by giving us close-ups and drone shots throughout the entire show. When it was needed, the cameras focused on Kendrick himself or focused on the whole setting in general, or even homed in on wide-panning shots of everything around.
Kendrick Lamar has a stage presence that is not overwhelming, but his charisma and talent make up for a minimal act. He focuses more on the message of his music rather than things like the theatrics or the crowd activity. His demeanor focuses more on saying something important rather than putting on a flashy show, but he had his moments during the halftime show. This is to say, he is not one to shy away from his talent and does not resist sharing the stage with his dancers or his guest singer, SZA.
He captivates less with himself and more with his words. His movements are not over the top, and he instead relies on his talents and lyrics and gives most of the dancing and showmanship to his fellow dancers and performers. He flows through the environment and fits perfectly within the performance—the final puzzle piece that brought everything together.
Most of the songs performed were newer songs and are well-known throughout his fanbase. He started the show with the intro to “Wacced Out Murals” before shortly teasing his unreleased track “GNX.” Kendrick continued the show with “squabble up” and then performed “HUMBLE.” and “DNA.”, which are most likely his more popular songs from his fourth studio album DAMN. After that, he flows into “Euphoria”, “Man at The Garden”, and “Peekaboo”. Things slow down with SZA when they perform “luther” and “All the Stars”.
For the finale, Kendrick pulls out “Not Like Us” bringing back the heavy energy and hyping up the stadium, calling out Drake and having the whole stadium sing along. His final song was “tv off” where he brought out DJ Mustard and the highest energy for the crowd, before finishing the song, and thus his whole show.
Kendrick was not afraid to share the stage, bringing out various guests and cameos. People were most excited about seeing SZA, as the duo have a few songs together and are going to be headlining a tour soon. One surprise was actor Samuel L. Jackson, who was there as an “Uncle Sam” adjacent moderator.
Lamar also brought out DJ Mustard during the finale, who helped to produce several songs with Kendrick. The most surprising guest was Serena Williams, who was there during “Not Like Us” because of her past romantic history with Drake. Some of the people were brought out for entertainment, while others were there to help elevate the statement.
One thing is for sure, those who loved and hated his show let their voices be heard throughout. Some thought his ‘woke’ ideals took away from the game and had difficulty understanding his show. They claimed that it was boring, and lacked what makes a halftime show memorable.
Others thought he did fantastic in all aspects and his message was a necessary one. Major fans of Kendrick were not disappointed with his performance. Those not as familiar with him either found themselves interested in the artist or repulsed by his music. Everyone had various things to say about the artist. All things considered; Kendrick has never been one to shy away from controversy in the name of conveying a message.
Kendrick Lamar is an artist who does not often need flashy performances or major theatrics to get his point across. He uses his voice, lyrics, and charisma to keep an audience. Overall, his Halftime show was flashy but not blinding. Most people often expect something over-the-top but, in this case, the artist relied on himself. His guests didn’t turn their eyes away from the main act and message. Kendrick stayed true to himself and did what he knew; give a message, keep true to himself, and provide a great show for Super Bowl LIX. This show is not up there as the best halftime show, but it had its charm and is definitely one to watch in the end.
For those not able to catch the performance, the entire show can be found on the NFL’s YouTube channel for free.
