Jem Aswad: Variety executive music editor reviews the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show

Fresh off the back of a successful Grammy Awards sweep, rapper Kendrick Lamar played his Super Bowl half time show today.

Lamar's performance happened in the midst of an ongoing defamation suit over his song Not Like Us - with Lamar getting in plenty of digs in at Drake before he performed the track.

The performance also featured special appearances by Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams and SZA.

Variety executive music editor Jem Aswad says Lamar had to omit an infamous line from Not Like Us to avoid further legal action.

"But he did all the rest of it, and he referenced it, he said something like - 'I want to play their favourite song but they always sue'. And at the end - not everybody noticed this - but in the audience with the light up wristbands, a bunch of fans were seated so it spelled: Game Over. Which it kind of is." 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Entertainment of extravagant proportions today at Super Bowl fifty nine.
On the field, the Philadelphia Philadelphia Eagles have smashed the
Kansas City Chiefs for.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
The second time, defensing Barty Telphy is head into Philadelphia
Eagles clive in Super Bowl fifty nine.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
And off the field, we've seen expensive ads and a
supersized halftime show. Fresh from a five Grammy sweep, Kendrick
Lamar took the stage for one of the most watched
moments on TV to debrief on how it went. Executive
music editor at Variety Jim Asla joins me, Now, hi, Jim.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Good evening, good morning, whatever it is there.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Yeah, it's evening for us. Thank you for being with us.
So Kendrick Lamar promised a storytelling. Did he deliver?

Speaker 2 (00:47):
He most certainly did. He delivered what maybe the final
chapter in his I mean he dominated Drake the way
that the Chiefs dominat or the Eagles dominated the Chiefs,
you know. I mean it was like Drake gave up
so long ago, and Kendrick didn't deliver the line. Everybody
was waiting for him too, because there would have been
lawsuits and things like that. But he did all the

(01:09):
rest of it, and he referenced it. He said something like,
I want to play their favorite song, but they always sue.
And at the very end, not everybody noticed this in
the audience, you know, the light up wristbands. They have
a bunch of fans were seated. So it's spelled game over,
which it kind of is. And Drake is touring Australia
right now. How about that?

Speaker 1 (01:30):
How many people tuned in for this one?

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Oh? I don't even know, but it's it. I think
it is the single most watched television program in the world.
Is that possible? I think it is. It definitely is
in the United States, and it's the biggest stage for
a musical artist. There's nothing bigger.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
It's interesting because when you look at TV viewership more generally,
it's on the DP line, right, But when you look
at the NFL, when you look at Super Bowl, they
are breaking records every time I do it. So what
are they getting right?

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Well, the difference is the only thing that young people
watch on broadcast television is sports, and that's because that's
where it is. Sure you can watch online, but that's
going through the networks. And I'm sure they managed to
count it in some way. Television is unquestionably on the
decline in TV ratings, which people, especially Donald Trump, still

(02:23):
act like are still such a big deal. They are not.
That's not where the audience is, especially young audience. They're
online and they're on social media, so that's where your
real impact is.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
Jim, thank you very much for that. Jim Aswade with
US executive Music editsor at Variety talking about the super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
For more from Hither duplessy Ellen Drive, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.