Kendrick Lamar sticks to storytelling for Super Bowl halftime show

NEW ORLEANS (AP):

Kendrick Lamar aims to infuse his Los Angeles hip-hop flavour into New Orleans while staying true to his storytelling roots during Sunday’s Super Bowl half-time performance.

“Being in the now and being just locked-in to how I feel and the energy I have now, that’s the L.A. energy for me,” he said Thursday at a press conference hosted by Apple Music. “That’s something I wanted to carry over to New Orleans and for the world to see. This is me. This is Kendrick Lamar, 37 years old, and I still feel like I’m elevating, I’m still on a journey.”

The rap megastar will take the Super Bowl stage fresh off a Grammy triumph, where he claimed two of the night’s biggest awards – song and record of the year – for his diss track Not Like Us.

When asked what viewers can expect, Lamar answered: “Storytelling. I think I’ve always been very open about storytelling through all my catalogue and my history of music. And I’ve always had a passion about bringing that on whatever stage I’m on.”

Lamar will be bringing hip-hop back to the NFL’s championship game, where he performed as a guest artist with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem in 2022.

SZA will join him but few other details about the performance were revealed, bowing to a tradition in which headliners keep their plans secret. Rihanna waited until her Super Bowl performance in 2023 to reveal she was pregnant with her second child.

The Super Bowl will be held Sunday at the Caesars Superdome, with the two-defending champions Kansas City Chiefs facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles in a championship rematch.

The Super Bowl pregame will have some Louisiana flavour: Jon Batiste will hit the stage to sing the national anthem, while Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle are slated to perform America the Beautiful.

Ledisi will perform Lift Every Voice and Sing as part of the pregame performances.

The national anthem and America the Beautiful will be performed by actor Stephanie Nogueras in American sign language. Otis Jones IV will sign Lift Every Voice and Sing, and the half-time show will be signed by Matt Maxey.