LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 05: Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar attend the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Jay has curated the Super Bowl halftime show for a couple of years now, and he obviously has high praise for Kendrick Lamar.

Kendrick Lamar finally popped out again after his Drake battle to announce that he’s hitting up an even bigger stage next year. The hip-hop world is very excited to see what he does for his Super Bowl LIX halftime show in New Orleans on February 9, and if not, they’re morbidly curious. Moreover, Jay-Z issued a statement as the NFL’s entertainment curator, contributing to the many Drizzy fans angry at him for allowing this to happen. Jokes aside, let’s not forget the reason why the sports league brought Hov into the fold in the first place, and how many issues of social justice and the treatment of the Black community in the league are still prevalent and unaddressed.

“Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer,” Jay-Z said of the battle victor who wants “no Round 2s” with Drake. “His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision. He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.” Here’s Kendrick’s own brief statement on the matter: “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”

Jay-Z’s Statement On Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

While this is all incredibly exciting, even the biggest Kendrick Lamar Stans on the planet have their reservations about this. As mentioned before, the shadow of the NFL looms large, especially considering that Kendrick omitted his line about police when he performed “Alright” at the 2022 halftime show. Also, many fans think that Lil Wayne was more deserving of this spot since he’s actually from New Orleans. Even his longtime engineer and producer seemed to speak out against the NFL’s decision.

Regardless, we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show. It’s going to be a massive moment and will surely be an impressive and compelling affair despite these qualms and debates. Elsewhere, other fans are hoping that his good friend is correct in previewing a possible collaboration with Playboi Carti. But like always, when it comes to Kendrick, we can’t do much more other than be patient and rest assured that it’ll hopefully be something special.