Stevie G: Kendrick’s victory lap was seen by the world

The halftime show at Sunday’s Super Bowl was a victory lap for Kendrick Lamar, at the end of a charged period in hip-hop where his beef with Drake made loads of headlines. 

It succeeded on every level, and went deeper than hip-hop too, with Kendrick using some deep symbolism as well as his words to strike some shots at the most powerful man in America, Donald Trump, who was sitting in the audience. 

The fact that this subsequently went over the heads of many of the observing MAGAs was predictable too, but even on TV the New Orleans crowd reaction was very audible and the atmosphere was fantastic.

Hip-hop culture certainly needed this. It’s been a turbulent era for the artform, with the previous holder of Kendrick’s crown in meltdown mode after a three-day Twitter [X] binge in which he did his best to offend everybody. Kanye West’s best musical days are behind him, but there had been signs lately that he seemed to be at peace finally. He looked happy and relaxed on a recent sojourn to Japan but, sadly, this week seems to suggest that his headspace seems to be more damaged than ever.

His attempts at both the Grammys and later in the lead-up to the Super Bowl to steal headlines were typical of him in some ways, but this time Kanye went further than ever. It’s unlikely he can return with any real credibility any more, after a series of tweets which doubled down on previously notorious statements; in which he defended everyone from Diddy and R Kelly to Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler. Those of us observing Kanye for years will know it was simply an attempt to grab headlines and shock, and he admitted as much; but Kanye is in his late 40s now and is long past the point of public redemption. He posted a lot of vile stuff against women in particular and, as usual, has done himself no favours. You’d have to feel sorry for his kids and family.

Kanye’s meltdown was indicative of his own helplessness regarding his musical and cultural impact. Sadly, he should realise that his impact on music, culture and fashion is almost ubiquitously respected, but I wonder does his realisation that things have moved past him now mean that he is even more frustrated. Most of the young guns grew up on Kanye and respected him, but are now disassociating themselves from his toxic brand.

I spoke about the vacuum in hip-hop a lot lately, but it is being filled by significant artists slowly but surely. Kendrick is the most significant of them all, and he has probably been the best rapper on the planet for the last 15 years or so.

Classic album followed classic album, and significant milestones followed everywhere he went. This last week, where he scooped a ton of Grammys, was just another chapter; but the Super Bowl was certainly a highpoint in what has been a huge 12 months for him.

His performance was brave and fearless, and encompassed his present-day and recent material. He had previously performed classics such as ‘Alright’ at his previous Super Bowl appearance, with Dr Dre and friends, but it was a significant omission this time. ‘Alright’ was released at the cusp of the first Trump inauguration and later took on even more significance as a BLM anthem after the George Flyod killing. All optimism has long since dissipated, and the global and domestic outlook looks significantly darker in 2025, so ‘Alright’ would have struck a strange note.

The performance was incredible, and accompanied by only a few props in a largely stripped-down minimal stage setup. Kendrick and his team delivered an engrossing set that featured narration by Samuel Jackson, some amazing dancers, and guest appearances by two of Drake’s exes, Serena Williams, and Sza, who herself is one of the most significant artists in hip-hop culture right now too. He playfully led up to the iconic ‘Not Like Us’, and teased us all into huge levels of anticipation before delivering his knockout blow, while calling out Drake as he smiled straight down the camera lens.

This was hip-hop at its most provocative and unapologetic, and it probably ended a battle which had long been won by the Compton rapper. It brought proper hip-hop front and centre to a global audience, and it further cemented Kendrick Lamar as one of the greatest rappers to ever grace the microphone.