Kendrick Lamar was preparing to take to the field as the headliner of the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show as the Philadelphia Eagles put 24 unanswered points on the board against the Kansas City Chiefs in the opening two quarters at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
The well-known rapper was joined on stage by guest star SZA, but it was the presence of actor Samuel L. Jackson as a strange mix of master of ceremonies and Uncle Sam, that delighted those in attendance who were not very enthusiastic about Lamar’s show, which saw a great set on the field during the show sponsored by Apple Music and Roc Nation that also featured rapper Mustard.
Gone is the spectacle in which Lamar was a guest star in the 2022 edition of the show headlined by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, as this time neither he, nor KZA nor Mustard, nor even a cameo from Serena Williams and Not Like Us managed to put on an epic show like on other occasions.
Samuel L Jackson made the difference
It was the presence of Quentin Tarantino’s fetish actor that made the difference in this edition’s show, as he provided the necessary dose of controversy with certain lines in his speech. Jackson’s Uncle Sam labeled the performers as “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto“, and reminded Lamar to “play the game”. Then, he began to sing “Humble.”, “DNA.”, “Euphoria” and “man at the garden”.
“The one who keeps the score, subtracts a life”, Jackson interrupted again. Lamar began to sing “peakboo” and then mocked a performance of “Not Like Us”. “I want to play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue,” Lamar told the dancers behind him, referring to Drake.