It's the face when you know what kind of opportunity you have, come up with the absolute best use for that opportunity, and execute that plan to perfection. Bravo, Kendrick 👏
Let me expand. While Kendrick put together an amazing show, it's still just that, a show.
We've had almost 30 years of media that "tells it like it is" starting with the likes of South Park and Family Guy. Things have only gotten worse.
As much as it was cool, I put this up there with performative protests like wearing pussy hats.
Kendrick might be right that "They Not Like Us" but he's also not like us and has the financial ability to put his money where his mouth is and do a lot more than just a flashy, glitzy televised protest.
He's wrong, the revolution will not be televised, because what he did isn't the kind of shit that starts revolutions. So tired of jerking off these fucking media savvy jackholes for doing bare minimum.
I don't see Kendrick funding legal battles with the Trump administration, make of that what you will, but it's why I kind of see it as pointless, frivolous, and out-of-focus. (Maybe he's doing it but not publicizing it?)
In the end, entertainers are capitalists and they don't want the system as it is to really change.
If it's not gonna change shit, seriously, who cares? Drake will literally be fine, the rest of us won't be.
Answer: Black people. People of color. And you should care too.
Analysis of the performance as just an extended diss on Drake is shortsighted at best. The Drake beef is only the exterior veneer of a much more nuanced and symbolic work expressing race, culture, and economics in America. For a deeper analysis see: https://www.tiktok.com/@toureshow/video/7469843075863579950 (apologies for the TikTok link but it’s a very good one)
I can see your point of view. Idk if you would consider this the same, but in this vein I really appreciated that Chappel Roan used her Grammy win as an opportunity to talk about the exploitative nature of the music industry, especially in the cases of smaller indie musicians.
But even tho Kendrick didn't use his platform in a similar way, I still really enjoyed him roasting Drake again. Idk man, everything in the US sucks rn and it was nice to genuinely laugh yesterday
art doesn’t typically cause immediate political change but it can bolster and help it along. many examples:
sinead o’connor in suport of victims of the catholic church
the cranberries in support of ireland
spike lee in support of victims of police brutality
bob dylan and others became representative of the anti war movement
when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. is kendrick going to fix america? fuck no lol, but giving a voice to human dignity and class consciousness cannot hurt. in the same way me writing this comment ain’t gonna do shit but it sure cannot hurt.
so anyone who read this far, i highly recommend looking into analysis of the performance by Black creators. hopefully you can find some new community and engage in support with those folk. :)
Chappell Roan has her nail artist work for "exposure," she's the wrong person to be referencing here. Just because her nail artist has decided they're okay with it doesn't mean its not inherently exploitative and hypocritical to say you deserve better pay and healthcare while literally denying it to people who work for you.
Otherwise I agree with you, it's good to have a laugh, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I have the same opinion, like it's cool to point out drake is a shit head pedo, but also.. Like there's so much more pressing issues, I was kinda hoping he'd make a real statement of some kind, that could be literally dangerous but that's what it'd take to weild your moment for good.
While I enjoyed the legendary diss, I was also hoping for something more substantial as well. This was especially after the late announcement of trump's attendance.
Kendrick would probably agree that this changes nothing. He's not a revolutionary, but a humble artist doing what he can. He's not suing the Trump administration (less than a month in) because he's probably looking to fight the battles that matter most to him. He's not a messiah, but who should expect that of him?
I just appreciate that he tried his best to avoid the beef being mutually beneficial for both him and Drake. That's what Drake was expecting, as beefs are usually just a cynical business venture. Instead, he tried his best to do actual damage to Drake, which is seriously refreshing.
Kendrick has been having a pop at Drake - for reasons. Drake has tried to sue over the lyrics. Kendrick claims that Drake’s favourite chord is “a minor”. Drake has, uh, a reputation for liking young girls.
TLDR; rapper for the ages calls pop rapper a paedo at half time show in a sport that most of the world don’t watch.
Tldr: Kendrick is song fighting Drake. Kendricks song beat Drake super bad because Kendrick's song won a bunch of awards while calling Drake a pedo. Then Kendrick sang the song during the Superbowl. The most watched sporting event in America. So now a bunch of people have been told Drake is a pedo.
I couldn't understand what he was saying. Like I was listening to a foreign language. Everyone I was with looked at me like I was a crazy person when I said that in the moment.
I can't speak for everyone, but for me personally it's just part of auditory processing difficulties. If the lyrics are not extremely clear without a lot of distractions it all just gets jumbled into a hopefully pleasant noise. Same thing happens with basically all rock.
The only people I understood in that show were Samuel L. and some of SZA.
It's probably because his lyrics are infamously complex and detailed, like poetry that takes time to digest. It also didn't help that he just couldn't say swear words, so what he was saying literally didn't make sense.
The show and lyrics were not very accessible for people who aren't fans of Kendrick, partially because he didn't try to make it accessible. The whole show was intentional minimalistic and counter to the opulent norm of the superbowl. That itself is the statement Kendrick consistently makes as an artist:
Mass appeal is boring, fake, and worthless; be genuine and appeal to those you actually care about. It was a show for the Black community and the people who like his music, and that's a good thing actually.