NEW ORLEANS — Kendrick Lamar is in his prime. Four days after winning five Grammy Awards for his diss track ‘Not Like Us,” including record and song of the year, Lamar is preparing for the pinnacle of sports, the Super Bowl 59 Halftime Show, where he’s set to become the first solo rap artist to headline the big show.
What can you expect? “Storytelling,” Lamar teased on Thursday in New Orleans.
“I’ve always been very open about storytelling throughout my catalog and my history of music,” he said during a rare live interview with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis. “I’ve always had passion about bringing that on whatever stage I am, whether it’s a world tour or whether it’s 500 people at Key Club (in Hollywood).”
Lamar is set to bring that passion and culture to arguably the biggest stage in the world on Super Bowl Sunday at Caesars Superdome, where hundreds of millions of viewers are expected to tune in.
“For me, it means everything because it puts the culture on the forefront where it needs to be and not minimized to just a catchy song or verse,’ he said. ‘It’s a true art form. To represent it on this type of stage is everything that I’ve worked for and everything that I believe in.”
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
SUPER BOWL 59 HALFTIME SHOW: What to know about Kendrick Lamar
Lamar, a 22-time Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize winner, has released six studio albums, including his latest “GNX,” which was released in November. He’s topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts five times, three of which came in the last year alone: ‘Like That’ featuring Future and Metro Boomin; ‘Not Like Us’; and ‘Squabble Up.”
“Not Like Us” came from Lamar’s highly-publicized beef with fellow rapper Drake. Lamar said the competitive spirit of their back-and-forth battle highlights the essence of hip-hop music.
“My intent from Day 1 was to always to keep the nature of it as a sport. … This has always been the core definition of who I am and it’s been that way since Day 1.”
The catchy summer anthem took home Grammys for record and song of the year, in addition to best music video, best rap song and best rap performance, recognition Lamar said he “loved to see.”
KENDRICK LAMAR, DRAKE FEUD EXPLAINED: What to know ahead of Super Bowl halftime show
“When people talk about rap… They kind of belittle it,” Lamar said. “I love to see that it gets that kind of recognition for just straight raps, from the awards to the billboards, because this is truly just as big as an art form and genre as any other genre. And I feel so accomplished to be able to do that.”
He will likely perform ‘Not Like Us” during his Super Bowl halftime set, which typically lasts about 13 minutes. Lamar said narrowing down his extensive catalog will be both “wild and interesting.” One thing for sure — He will be joined by SZA, the co-headliner on his upcoming Grand National Tour.
“I’m just honored to be next to her talent,” he said.
CHARGERS LB DAIYAN HENLEY: LA proud of Kendrick Lamar’s highly-anticipated halftime show
Kendrick Lamar: ‘I’ve arrived now’
Lamar has documented in his music his humble beginnings from Compton, California, a city he loves and vows to always showcase to the world. Never did he think his journey from slinging mixtapes and performing at house parties would lead to the Super Bowl.
“I wasn’t thinking about no Super Bowl,” Lamar said of his early days, laughing, “I was thinking about the best verse and how we were going to split this five dollars at Church’s Chicken … going to the studio and getting a meal. All I know is the passion I have now is the same passion I had then. That carried on to the Super Bowl.”
Lamar said he feels like he’s “coming out of (his) cocoon.”
“That’s something I want to carry on to New Orleans and for the world to see,’ he said. ‘This is me … 37-years-old and I still feel like I’m elevating and still on a journey. I want that energy to ooze out onto the television.”
He added, “I can spread my wings and show every state of who I am as far as Kendrick Lamar.”
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.