Who doesn’t love the good old Super Bowl Halftime Show? The most important aspect of the football game is on a Sunday night in February. I always had a passionate feeling about the Super Bowl Halftime Shows, even though I would never pay the price of an arm and leg to see the show in person. Let’s say I had very humble beginnings as a young adolescent. 

It was never about the expensive commercials, hard-hitting tackles from opposite teams, or the overwhelming banter of football fans. Of course, I enjoyed the thrilling action of the opposing teams. What makes a Super Bowl such a defying moment for me, is that it is all about the culture. The Super Bowl created such a cultural defining moment for everyone, not just me. 

For one night only, you get to see the true collaboration between an impactful artist against the world. I think that Kendrick Lamar is undoubtedly considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. The National Football League recently announced that Kendrick  Lamar will be performing at the Super Bowl.  If you are a huge fan of Kendrick Lamar and aware of his movement, this might be a dream come true. 

I truly do believe that  Kendrick Lamar deserves a moment in the Super Bowl as a solo artist. The reason for this is that Kendrick Lamar is outstanding and there is no debating that conversation. For example, the theatrical 2015 Grammys were historically powerful for the Black Lives Matter movement. We wither away from the abyss of the Grammys toward the controversy in New Orleans. 

I also think Lil Wayne is also considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. I grew up listening to this artist, even though my mom banned the television for weeks from listening to him. It was a shocking discovery that he wouldn’t perform next year.  I mean you can make the argument that he deserves a spot in the performance. The Halftime Show will be broadcast in the heart and soul of New Orleans. Does this effectively mean Lil Wayne should perform in the Halftime Show?

The response won’t always be exact. In a participation survey I conducted at Rowan, 71  contributors were questioned: “Out of these four artists, which artists are you picking?” 

From my survey, 32.4% agreed with Lil Wayne, 24% agreed with Kendrick Lamar, 21.1% agreed with Nicki Minaj, 14.08% agreed with Drake, and 8.4% wanted their desired artist to perform at the Superbowl. Most responses were quite detailed about the Super Bowl in New Orleans next to the birthplace of Lil Wayne. Finally, most disagree with the decision of Roc Nation Sports and Co-Founder, Jay-Z.

Do I think he made the right decision to pick Lamar over Wayne? I remain unbiased in favor of both artists for the impact they’ve created. 

However, Lil Wayne doesn’t have the qualities of a great performer compared to Lamar, Drake, or even the Harlem Globetrotters. He never goes in a hundred percent while performing live on stage. You can defend his catalog of music, but it certainly has an incomplete ratio of good music, especially that God-awful album “Rebirth.”

Since the first Super Bowl, I have never heard of an artist being chosen because of their hometown. This event was never about location, it was all about the culture. 

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