Kendrick Lamar Is A Certified Pulitzer-Prize Artist, Hater, And The True Winner Of The Super Bowl
On Sunday night, in front of the world, Kendrick Lamar demonstrated for all why he is one of the most thrilling, uncompromising, and culturally consequential artists of his era.
The Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show was never going to be just another performance, we all knew it was a moment of reckoning. In a league notorious for playing it safe, Lamar played with danger, controversy, and his unapologetic art. He declared himself as the moment, the movement, and the menace all at once.
The First Solo Rapper To Headline The Big Game, And The First Rapper To Win A Pulitzer
Before we talk about the Super Bowl, let’s take a step back. Kendrick Lamar is not just another rap superstar he’s a Pulitzer Prize winning artist. When he received the award in 2018 for DAMN., he shattered a barrier, becoming the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win the prize. The Pulitzer board called the album “a virtuosic song collection” that captures “the complexity of modern African-American life.” That distinction alone places him in a different league than any of his contemporaries.
For more than a decade, Lamar has proven himself to be not just a lyricist but a storyteller who will not be boxed in. He tells tales that challenge race, power, and life in America. His music is not just rap. It is literature, cinema, and history combined. That is why his name must be grouped with the greats, from Toni Morrison to James Baldwin.
The Halftime Show That Broke The Rules
It was fitting, then, that when Lamar occupied the center stage of the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show was the lead up to a true masterpiece. With a Samuel L. Jackson-portrayed Uncle Sam hovering over him, Lamar played off of the fears that he’s “too dangerous” for America’s largest stage. Well instead of toning down his message, he leaned into it. He didn’t merely wish to perform for the Super Bowl crowd because he knew they weren’t here for him, so instead he wished to unsettle them. Dancers dressed in red, white, and blue formed a moving flag, and Lamar stood in its center, defiant, a rip in the fabric of American idealism. It was a visual and thematic extension of what he’s always represented: a mirror held up to reflect America’s hypocrisy back onto itself.
And then came the moment everyone was waiting for.
The Moment Kendrick Took Over The Culture (Again)
For weeks, there was speculation about whether Lamar would take the stage to perform “Not Like Us,” his blistering diss track against Drake, a song that was a cultural moment unto itself in 2024. A lawsuit, a simmering industry feud, and millions of curious fans provided layers of anticipation. Lamar played with expectations. Initially, he teased the song, smiling as the instrumental boomed through the Superdome. Then he pump-faked, going into the more crowd-pleasing All the Stars with SZA.
“They tried to rig the game, but you can’t fake impact,” he snarled, launching into a full-throttle performance of “Not Like Us.” And in case the world wasn’t paying attention, the cameras panned to Serena Williams—a Compton icon, tennis star, and Drake ex-girlfriend—crip walking to the beat.
It was poetic, brutal, and absolutely unforgettable.
Football fans may recall Super Bowl LIX for the Eagles vs. Chiefs matchup, and the Eagles well deserved win, but the true victor was Kendrick Lamar. His set wasn’t a halftime performance for those looking to forget about it the next day. It was a hostile takeover of American pop culture. He didn’t stage a spectacle; he solidified his legacy as the artist who won’t play by the rules, be it in music, in industry feuds, or on the world’s largest stage.
A Pulitzer winner, a virtuosic hater, and the unequivocal voice of his generation Kendrick Lamar showed once more that he isn’t merely a part of the culture. He is the culture.
