Kendrick Lamar recently kicked off his official lead-up to his Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans on Sunday (February 9) with an Apple Music press conference for the event, hosted by Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis. While it was an overall general conversation on artistry, the culture, and impact, he also offered some more specific words as to what he is preparing for his performance. "What should people expect to see and understand about Sunday's performance?" Ebro asked the Compton lyricist as their conversation started to close, and his answer is simple but nonetheless exciting given his track record and ambition.
"Storytelling," Kendrick Lamar expressed concerning what fans should expect from his Super Bowl slot. "I think I've always been very open about storytelling through all my catalog and my history of music. And I've always had a passion about bringing that on whatever stage I'm on. You know, whether it's a world tour or whether it's 500 people, I've always had a form of that. So, I like to always carry on that sense of, you know, make people listen, but also seeing them think a little."
Kendrick Lamar Talks Drake In Super Bowl Interview
In addition to this discussion, Kendrick Lamar also seemed to reveal why he went to war with Drake. "My intent from day one was to keep the nature of it as a sport," he remarked. "I don't care how motherf***ers look at it as far as, like, a collaborative effort. That's cool too, but I love when artists grit they teeth. [...] This always been the core definition of who I am. It's been that way since day one so I don't think it was a thing for this year. It was always a continuum. What I will say about this year is that it was more from a space where I think a lot of people was putting rap to the back and you didn't see that grit, you didn't see that bite anymore."
Meanwhile, we have more Kendrick Lamar press opportunities to look forward to in the future, however light they may seem. Tomorrow (Friday, February 7), he will release an interview with Timothée Chalamet as part of this Super Bowl promotion, so maybe we hear more about what he's got in store for Sunday.
