On Feb. 9, like so many Americans every year, I will be sitting down with friends to watch the Super Bowl. A long night of good food, football and music is set to commence. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to be. The Super Bowl is the most exciting game of the year for players and fans alike, where two of the best sports teams battle it out for 60 minutes to determine the NFL champion. However, over the last two or three years, the Super Bowl has been viewed a little bit differently.
This year, the Kansas City Chiefs have the opportunity to become the first team in history to win three Super Bowls in a row, competing against the Eagles, who appeared in the Super Bowl only two years ago when they lost to the Chiefs. This matchup seems simply predictable in the eyes of NFL fans like myself.
In addition to this, the Chiefs have become one of the most hated teams in the NFL, due to factors such as their overpowering success, as well as, what I find to be excessive, anger over the constant coverage of Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce’s girlfriend, at their games.
Admittedly, this does not exactly paint a picture of a Super Bowl game that people are clamoring to see. This lack of excitement is felt among plenty of football fans across America, and there’s a good chance this would likely have been one of the least-watched Super Bowls in history if it weren’t for Kendrick Lamar’s upcoming halftime show.
Throughout his career, I believe Lamar has etched out his place as one of the greatest artists to ever grace the rap and hip-hop genres. “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” “Section.80” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “DAMN” have all cemented his place at the top of rap’s landscape.
However, one album that stands out above the rest is his 2015 album, “To Pimp A Butterfly.” This album is regarded, not only as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, but as one of the greatest albums, and I couldn’t agree more.
Lamar is, unquestionably, one of the most electrifying artists of the current era. The last Super Bowl Halftime Show that had this much anticipation was when Lamar performed alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog and Eminem in Super Bowl 56.
However, this year even more eyes are on Lamar due to his 2024 feud with fellow rapper, Drake. When shots were being fired by both rappers for what felt like most of the year, Lamar was able to cement his victory with the devastating track, “Not Like Us.” In the track, Kendrick made many insinuating remarks about Drake that, to be honest, are better received if you read the lyrics yourself.
The feud, along with the surprise release of his latest album “GNX,” have given Lamar a plethora of new songs to electrify the Super Bowl’s New Orleans crowd. I also predict he will gain plenty of fans when he performs, potentially upstaging the competing teams– a quintessential Lamar thing to do.