Kendrick Lamar Calls Rap a Sport, Expect ‘Storytelling’ at Super Bowl

Fresh off his five Grammy wins for “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar says fans can expect further “storytelling” at his Super Bowl LIX halftime performance in New Orleans on Sunday night. 

“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,” Lamar said at an Apple Music press conference on Thursday. “I like to always carry on that sense of mak[ing] people listen, but also [to] see and think a little.” 

The Compton rapper made a rare live appearance to sit down with Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis to discuss the halftime show, which will mark the first time a solo rap act will headline the 13-minute show. SZA will also be performing as a special guest, as she and Lamar hit the road in April for the duo’s Grand National Tour. “I’m just honored to be next to her talent,” Lamar said.

Walking out on stage to the now iconic “Not Like Us” beat, Lamar avoided elaborating on his feud with Drake, but shared that his intention — for both his diss tracks and surprise album GMX — was to return to rap’s roots: grit, verbal sparring and “good beats just smacking.” 

“I think a lot of people was putting rap to the back — you didn’t get that grit, you didn’t see that bite anymore,” he explained. “My intent, I think from day one, was to always keep the nature of it as a sport … I love when artists grit [their] teeth. I still watch battle raps … This has always been the core definition of who I am.”

In the lead-up to the show, Lamar will also speak with actor Timothee Chalamet in an interview airing on Apple Music on Friday, Feb. 7, at 7 a.m. EST.

Lamar’s busy week will conclude on Sunday night, following his diss track anthem “Not Like Us” sweeping the Grammys, winning Song Of The Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video and Record of the Year.