NEW ORLEANS — Thursday morning, Kendrick Lamar discussed his journey from Section.80 to headlining the Super Bowl LIX Apple Music Halftime Show. During his time with hosts Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis, Kendrick emphasized his commitment to the essence of hip-hop. For him, the essence of hip-hop is battle rap.
“This has always been the core definition of who I am, and it’s been that way since day one. So I don’t think it was a thing for this year. It was always just a continuum. What we will say about this year, it was more from a space where I think a lot of people were putting rap to the back and you didn’t see that bite anymore. So I always took that into consideration in going into any type of music that’s interesting.”
Lamar’s press conference comes on the heels of last Sunday’s 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Lamar’s “Not Like Us” took home awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Music Video, and Best Rap Song. However, “Not Like Us” at its core a battle rap song, is not lost on everybody.
“When people talk about rap, man, the conversations out here, they think it’s just rap and it’s not an actual art form,” Lamar explained. “So when you put records like that at the forefront, it reminds people that this is more than just something that came 50 years ago.”
Kendrick does not sit down for many interviews. So, he took the time to reflect on his early days, the grind of making mixtapes, and the importance of staying true to himself. He also touched on his entrepreneurial ventures through pgLang and the collaborative effort behind his performances, including the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show. He admitted cutting a 90-minute tour down to thirteen minutes is wild!
“It’s kind of wild,” Lamar explained. “And it’s interesting, because it lets you know kind of where you went, and your perspective on how you think about cataloging the music. For me, I love being present.”
Those thirteen minutes. Specifically, for a rapper reaching the zenith after putting out albums and mixtapes for 15 years, is unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
“I love being present,” Kendrick continued. “Man, it’s my favorite. It’s very hard for me to live in the past. But being in the now and being just locked into how I feel and the energy I have now, that’s that’s the LA energy. For me, that’s something that I wanted to carry over to New Orleans and for the world to see.”
The heartbeat of Louisiana is local music
There is a sound that is singular to New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. From bounce music, brass bands, and zydeco, this place uniquely marches to the beats of their drums. And those genres of music will come across during the pre-show portion of the Super Bowl LIX telecast on FOX.
Christian singer Lauren Daigle and jazz musician Trombone Shorty will join forces to perform “America the Beautiful.” R&B vocalist Ledisi will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Lastly, Jon Baptiste will perform the Star-Spangled Banner. All four Louisiana-based artists shared their thoughts on the unbelievable opportunity to not only showcase their skills. Plus displaying their passion for music in Louisiana.
“125 years of legacy, American history, culture, every person hears this song,” Ledisi says of the Black National Anthem. “I’m overwhelmed. I’m honored. I feel like I’m in alignment with greatness to stand in this moment and sing that song. So yeah, that’s all I can say about it. I’m about to start crying.”
Baptiste said the iconography of Louisiana’s music retains the past, catalogues the present and accurately forecasts the future.
“I think about a lot of people in my life who have represented what I believe this song is about and should be about at its highest aspirational level,” says Baptiste. “So when I channel that, it makes it feel like it’s me, but it’s way bigger than me, so I’m just a vessel for that energy in the world to continue.”