In short order, Kendrick Lamar will take the stage for one of music's most anticipated performances: the Super Bowl halftime show.
When it was first announced that the "Not Like Us" rapper had been anointed with this honor, it came with some controversy. Many thought that the halftime show ought to go to Lil Wayne. This is not only because of Wayne's impressive catalog or how open he's been about wanting to do the halftime show, but also because this particular Super Bowl will take place in the rapper's hometown: New Orleans.
That all of this wasn't enough to convince Roc Nation (who has produced the Super Bowl halftime show since 2019) came off as disrespectful to some people, especially considering the fact that the person who ultimately was chosen was actively engaged in a beef with Drake, Lil Wayne's friend and mentee.
Now, Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez has stated that Lil Wayne was in fact in the running for the job.
"I didn’t choose the artist, but I do believe that definitely there was consideration” for Lil Wayne, Perez said in an interview with Nola.com. Ultimately, however, the committee could not deny the influence Kendrick Lamar wielded, and decided that Kendrick was “the right person for the show at this moment.”
"He’s had an incredible year," Perez went on to say. "Very deserving of the attention."
In detailing the company's decision process, Perez said that Jay Z, who founded Roc Nation back in 2008, was very hands-on.
"It really starts with his thinking," she elaborated. "It’s easier for him. It’s almost like a chef picking the specials for the evening. He comes up with the shortlist, and we work our way through that.”
She also said that many factors are taken into consideration when making the decision of who to pick for the halftime how, including the host city. According to Perez, although Kendrick is a native Californian, he exemplifies what makes New Orleans the special city that it is.
“New Orleans is so rich in culture,” she said. “We have to take into consideration (that) whoever is going to perform can speak to music culture, regardless of age. It has to nod to real music, regardless of the genre. And Kendrick does that. Kendrick’s richness and culture is really a nod to New Orleans.”
Shortly after Kendrick was announced for the halftime show, Lil Wayne took the stage to express his regret at not being picked, saying the opportunity was "ripped away from him" and that he was looking forward to his mom seeing him perform at the Super Bowl in his hometown.
“Aww,” Perez said in reaction to hearing these comments. “I actually didn’t know he had said that."
“We love that everybody wants to be on the stage, that we’ve completely changed the conversation to fighting for it versus boycotting," she went on to say. "We’ve come a long way.”
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