Kendrick Lamar is preparing to go from Grammys glory to the Super Bowl half-time show as the biggest US sporting event of the year arrives in New Orleans this weekend.
The acclaimed rapper won five Grammy awards last weekend for his controversial Drake diss track Not Like Us. The song is currently the subject of a defamation lawsuit with lyrics calling the Canadian star a “certified paedophile”. Drake’s lawyers have called the song “dangerous” in a filing made last month.
According to TMZ, Lamar will definitely be including the song in his performance but the question remains as to which lyrics will be deemed suitable for the telecast by both the NFL and Fox, who will be airing the game.
Lamar is no stranger to the Super Bowl stage, having appeared during 2022’s hip-hop and R&B headliner show alongside Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J Blige.
In an interview this week, he spoke of the importance of bringing his “LA energy” with him on Sunday. “That’s something I wanted to carry over to New Orleans and for the world to see,” he said. “This is me. This is Kendrick Lamar, 37 years old, and I still feel like I’m elevating, I’m still on a journey.” When asked about what viewers can expect, he said that “storytelling” will be a key component of his set.
Speculation has been rife over who his surprise guests will be, with only SZA as yet confirmed. The pair recently announced a major arena tour starting later this year.
“What I can say is he’s worked really hard on it,” SZA said at the Grammys. “And I’m so honored to be a part of it and I’m so honored to even know him and exist in the same time as someone as brilliant as him.”
Taylor Swift is set to attend again in support of her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, whose team, the Kansas City Chiefs, will face the Philadelphia Eagles. Swift, who previously collaborated with Lamar on the single Bad Blood, will reportedly watch the game from a $2m suite at the Caesars Superdome with rumours of celebrity friends alongside. Last year she brought Hugh Jackman, Blake Lively, Ice Spice, Lana Del Rey and Ryan Reynolds with her.
The singer will face her own competition within the stadium with Donald Trump set to attend, the first time a sitting president has watched the game in person. After Swift showed her support for the Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, last year, Trump posted online: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”
In a 2019 interview with the Guardian, Swift said: “We’re a democracy – at least, we’re supposed to be – where you’re allowed to disagree, dissent, debate. I really think that he thinks this is an autocracy.”
When Kelce was asked about Trump’s attendance this week he said: “That’s awesome. It’s a great honor. I think you know, no matter who the president is, I know I’m excited because it’s the biggest game of my life, you know, and having the president there – it’s the best country in the world – and that’s pretty cool.”
The cost of a Super Bowl ad has also risen this year to $8m for a 30-second spot. Major commercials this year will include stars such as Ben Affleck, Charli xcx, Matthew McConaughey, Glen Powell, Greta Gerwig and a reunion for the When Harry Met Sally stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.
The Hollywood Reporter is claiming through sources that many big stars are receiving $3-5m for leading ads.
One of the most controversial spots on Sunday may come from the divisive artificial intelligence company OpenAI. It will mark the first foray into commercial advertising for the firm behind ChatGPT.
Google has already been forced to edit an ad for its AI tool after it included a false statistic about global gouda consumption, a mistake that was blamed on AI itself.
Last year’s Super Bowl attracted about 123 million viewers.
Source: theguardian.com
