Brandon Marinkovich ‘22, Sports Editor
The Super Bowl halftime show is a performance that every artist dreams of playing. It is one of, if not the biggest stage in the world, with hundreds of millions of people watching. In 2022, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg will finally see that dream materialize. Having an entire lineup of hip-hop artists is something that has never been done before in Super Bowl history, and the choice to have west coast hip-hop legends headline the performance comes from the fact that Lamar, Dre, and Snoop Dogg all are California natives. Although these three rap giants deserve their spot in the performance, many common football fans may not be as familiar with Lamar as they might be with the other headliners
Lamar, being surrounded by many of hip-hop’s established greats shows that he is on a similar talent level, yet some may feel that Lamar is lacking credibility compared to the greats that he will be on stage with, as he is not as much of a common household name compared to the others. Regardless, his career has been nothing short of spectacular, as he has created many great pieces of work, largely displayed by his 2013 album good kid m.A.A.d City—which featured both Dre and Blige—it seemed as if Dre was passing the torch to Lamar. Lamar didn’t stop there; in 2015, he dropped what many hail as the greatest rap album of all time, To Pimp a Butterfly. This piece of work was a very socially conscious album, as Lamar was able to add in important social commentary throughout the entirety of the album. This piece of work allowed for listeners to look inside of what life is like growing up as a young African-American man in Compton. To Pimp a Butterfly opened peoples eyes to the fact that Lamar is nothing short of a generational talent and artistic genius. Lamar’s ability to take his past pain and express it artistically is something that few hip-hop artists are able to do at his level.
At this time, many fans are speculating about the possibility of an album from Lamar, as he released a letter to his fans. In a letter that Lamar posted online, he said, ”As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years.” He announced that a new album is being created, but there is no hint as to when it might be released. Whether the Super Bowl halftime show will be a part of his album rollout or not, fans will have to see.
The performance will take place on Feb. 9, and although it is unclear what the performance itself will specifically entail, with the lineup that has been announced, fans eagerly anticipate the performance, hoping for a show that will go down in history as one of the most iconic Super Bowl halftime performances.
Lyon Life 