The Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles was unpredictable as the Eagles smashed the Chiefs and totally intimidated QB Patrick Mahomes, who countless sports analysts described as the guy who was unnaturally composed under pressure and if he’s behind late in the game and he gets the ball last the Chiefs would win their 3rd consecutive Super Bowl. The 40-22 win by the Eagles was unpredictable and even those who thought the Eagles would win did not predict the Eagles would dominate.
The game was unpredictable, but the controversy over Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show was predictable. One caller to my radio show was outraged that the NFL had selected so many Black artists to perform the halftime show. She mentioned Usher, Rihanna, and past Kendrick Lamar participations and as a white woman she was disgusted that white performers were being ignored. To make the point that many Black artists, including Black rappers, have a strong white base, I asked her if she listened to The Four Tops when she was younger and she was quick to say, “Yes.” When I then pointed out that the Black artists she was complaining about all have a strong white audience base she gave the very lame reason that The Four Tops “were different.” The woman continued arguing, failing to recognize her own hypocrisy. That woman listening to The Four Tops when she was young was no different from young whites listening to Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Usher, and other Black artists today. Her lack of appreciation is typical of Americans who seem to believe that everything has to include their tastes.
The Boomer Generation used to be the largest segment of the U.S. population and they are used to defining every era they occupy. But the Boomers no longer hold the power to define everything. Millennials are now the largest portion of the population and they are defining much of pop culture today.
The idea that everything must be appealing to ME has always been part of the Boomer mentality and it’s myopic to still believe that everything much be appealing to Boomers, particularly white Boomers.
When Boomers were young they loved music and they loved the music of Black artists and there seemed to be no separation when it came to music. Good music was just good music, Period.
The truth is that every Super Bowl does not have to please everyone in the same way that then The Who performed at the halftime show when the Saints were in the Super Bowl in Miami, there were many people who thought that was terrible and unrelatable. So Kendrick Lamar was unrelatable to some people. So what? Everything isn’t about YOU.
If you don’t like Kendrick Lamar - don’t watch the halftime show. It’s that simple.
But make no mistake about it - you may not like or get Kendrick Lamar - but he is legit. Lamar won a Pulitzer Prize for music in 2018. He was the 1st rapper to headline the Super Bowl halftime show as a solo artist. And the halftime show drew critical acclaim.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson appeared dressed as Uncle Sam and helped create the message of Larma’s halftime show. At one point Uncle Sam criticized Lamar as being “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.” That obviously reflected many in the audience watching. Uncle Sam also added that Lamar really didn’t know “how to play the game” and later said that “America wants nice and calm.”
Lamar’s halftime performance addressed the inherent conflict between being true to oneself and seeking commercial success. A battle not uncommon to many Americans.
I admit that Kendrick Lamar’s music is not a genre I prefer, but I still have tremendous respect for him and the rap genre. I appreciate that many loved the halftime show, while many hated it and thought it was disgusting. A text came into the show today saying that Lamar’s performance was a slap at President Trump, who was the first sitting president ever to attend a Super Bowl. That is typical TDS. The Trump supporters who play the victim card. Kendrick Lamar was announced as the Super Bowl halftime performance long before Trump won the election so it would just stupid to say that it was an insult directed at the president.
The fact that many hated the halftime show should not be a problem. The fact that many said they didn’t even understand what Lamar was singing or didn’t get the dancing or the costumes is actually normal. Every young generation has a responsibility to be different from their parents’ generation and to define themselves by things their parents don’t get.
Yesterday, was the 61st anniversary of The Beatles first appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show. Let’s go back to that time in history. Young people watched and fell in love with The Beatles and young American boys tried to copy the hairstyles of The Beatles and their parents didn’t get it.
And to the caller who was so disgusted with the series of Black artists performing at the halftime shows at the Super Bowl - let me remind her and anyone else that 2 yrs. Ago Emimen was the headliner and a year before that The Weekend was the headliner and the year before that it was Shakira and the year before that it was Maroon 5. So why is anyone complaining about a barrage of Black artists dominating the halftime shows at the Super Bowl?
Many of the people complaining about Kendrick Lamar’s music are the same people who loved The Beatles while their parents condemned them in the same way they are condemning Kendrick Lamar.
