Who Thought That Samuel L. Jackson Would Open Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show?
Fans place some insane bets on the Super Bowl every year, from surprise halftime show guest performers to the colour of Gatorade the winning team will pour on their coach. (The Gatorade was purple for the past two years, by the way.) But even if you focused solely on who would show up to Kendrick Lamar's halftime show, I’m certain you didn’t have Samuel L. Jackson on your radar.
The Avengers actor opened the show as America's "Uncle Sam," dressed in red, white, and blue. Jackson wasn't the only special guest. SZA arrived halfway through the show to perform "Luther" and "All the Stars" from Black Panther. "He worked really hard on it,” SZA told reporters at the Grammys red carpet preshow last weekend, "I'm so honored to be a part of it."
Lamar's beef with Drake was the centre of the show. The artist smiled directly at the camera when he mentioned Drake's name during "Not Like Us." DJ Mustard and Serena Williams also made appearances throughout the show. It's possible that Williams's arrival was yet another shot at Drake from the Compton rapper. (Williams and Drake allegedly dated in the past.)
If you thought Drake would show up to squash the beef on national TV, I’d say your chances were slim. Sadly, the same goes for anyone who thought Taylor Swift would perform a song. The pop singer was in attendance at Caesars Superdome, but only to support her boyfriend—Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne was the running favourite among fans to make a guest appearance. After Lamar was announced as the headliner, Wayne voiced his frustrations on social media that he wasn’t asked to perform for his home crowd. “I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown,” Wayne said in an Instagram video. “I thought there was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city. And so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot.” The two rappers eventually talked it out and Wayne wished him good luck.
“He’s a fan like I’m a fan of his music,” Wayne said on The Skip Bayless Show. “He saw what everyone else saw, he saw how much it meant to me.” In the end, Wayne said that Lamar, “Didn’t let me down.”
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