Kendrick Lamar Hate Will Not Be Tolerated & New Music

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Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance & A Song I Regret Listening To

Today’s newsletter is all about Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance—but before we get into that, let me quickly talk about a song I got recommended that I wish I hadn’t listened to.

A Song Recommendation Gone Wrong

So, I kept getting recommended this song called road by this girl ch111oe, and after days of ignoring it, I finally gave in. Big mistake.

I don’t even know what genre this is supposed to be. It’s like it was trying to be spaced-out and atmospheric, maybe something in the realm of Yung Lean, but while the instrumental wasn’t too bad the vocals took us nowhere. It was just bad music.

So, naturally, I went to the comments to see if I was tripping or if other people felt the same way. Nope—nothing but Russian comments everywhere. Turns out, she’s a Nettspend extra.

I don’t even know what side of YouTube they think I’m on to recommend me this video for days in a row, but it’s clearly working for her. The song has only been out for eight days and is performing well—so credit to her for building a fanbase. But it had me thinking…

How does a music video extra turn into a musician?

And of course, I have to check out her other music because there’s no way it’s all this bad, right? But after hearing road, I’m almost afraid to find out. She’s barely even the main voice on her own track. I will keep you in the loop

Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance: A Moment for Hip-Hop

Now, let’s talk about the real highlight of the day: Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show.

This was nothing short of amazing. A performance that wasn’t designed to pander to the general audience, but instead to bring hip-hop and LA culture to the biggest stage in sports.

Kendrick didn’t show up to play the biggest crowd-pleasers. He came to showcase his art, his culture, and his vision, and he delivered.

There are going to be a lot of narratives spun about this, but I’m not letting any of them fly. This was a statement.

• The Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam imagery? Iconic.

• The dancers coming out of the car? A perfect LA touch.

• Serena Williams crip-walking? A full-circle moment considering she was criticized for doing that dance during her tennis career. Also, the Drake connection here is wild—Drake was all over her, then dissed her and her husband, and now she’s up on stage for Kendrick’s moment.

It honestly felt like we were watching a high-budget music video on the biggest stage possible.

And then there’s DJ Mustard. Kendrick brought out his producer—when has that ever happened in Super Bowl history? Dr. Dre was a performer in 2022, but what other performer has ever brought out the producer during the biggest music event of the year?

That was real love, showing respect to the people behind the music.

Final Thoughts

I know there’s going to be pushback on this performance, because that’s what always happens when someone doesn’t play it safe. But I’m not buying any of the hate or negativity.

This was a defining moment for hip-hop, and Kendrick made sure it stayed authentic.

Let me know your thoughts—what did you think of the performance? And if you’ve unfortunately heard road, tell me I’m not alone in thinking it’s trash.

• HY

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