Every rap fan following the drama of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” track, which disses fellow rapper Drake, was dying to see if he would mention Drake during the Super Bowl halftime show. He did.
Last week, “Not Like Us” won a Grammy Award for best rap performance as well as for song of the year. In January, Drake filed a complaint in federal court against Universal Music Group, saying the song accuses him of being a pedophile.
During Lamar the halftime show, smiled directly at the camera while rapping the lyrics, “Say Drake, I hear you like them young. You better never go to cell block one.” He also warns women to hide their little sisters from him.
But a lot of Americans looked at the television, oblivious to the rap war, and said, “This looks like a good time to hip hop to the bathroom and clean up the snack trays.”
The NFL is not trying to reach many of the fans who make up the fan base. The ticket holders, the tailgaters, the jersey buyers, the fantasy football teams, and the people with team-themed winter coats whose team didn’t make it to the Super Bowl, are all owed a thank you in the form of an entertaining halftime show. That way, if the game is boring, as it was this year, the halftime show will be more entertaining than the commercials.
But the league that preaches inclusivity continues to turn many fans off with narrowly focused, uninspired halftime shows. This year’s show spent time on accusations of pedophilia, an inappropriate topic for a broad audience.
So when the NFL chooses a Grammy-winning rapper, it should ask him to produce a show that connects with a wide audience, and pick a universal theme that grandparents, grandchildren, and everyone in between can relate to.
Joy, unity, or victory are good theme ideas; “maybe this guy is a pedophile” is not. Also, it might be nice to have less crotch grabbing and more sequins.
Lamar’s show started with the promise of entertainment: a sort of rapper’s clown car. Lamar opened alone, crouched on the hood of a car when an impossible number of dancers came out of the doors and trunk. They just kept coming, wearing solid colors, red, white, or blue and later made a flag with their bodies. That was neat. Vocalist SZA sang, and she has a beautiful voice. Samuel L. Jackson had a speaking role, dressed as Uncle Sam. He has a strong stage presence, but it wasn’t totally clear what the message was. Besides, the audience was not there for a message — they were there to be entertained. Overall, it was boring if you didn’t know about the rapper war.
The Super Bowl Halftime Show is a shared experience in America. It should hold viewers’ attention, with visually exciting elements like in 1993 when Michael Jackson appeared to rocket up through a jumbotron over the nosebleed seats, landing on top of it. But moments later he came up through the floor of the ground stage and blew the crowd away with his dancing.
In 2011, the Black Eyed Peas descended from the ceiling to the stage and had a huge team of dancers wearing lights for a ground show all ages could enjoy. They transitioned from their own songs to lead singer Fergie performing “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” with guitarist Slash from Guns N’ Roses. Then Usher came down from the ceiling and the show changed personality again. You didn’t have to know their music to appreciate the showmanship.
In the early years, the halftime show was marching bands or Up With People. New Kids on the Block performed in 1991, and it has always been big name stars since then, sometimes with a marching band. Prince, The Who, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, U2, Diana Ross, and other well known artists have had the honor.
Surely The NFL understands the anticipation and cultural impact of the halftime show. The NFL drops the ball when it fails to demand entertainment broad enough to reach the many ages and subcultures watching.
This story has been updated since publication.
Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.
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