# Would rap/hip hop/KL fans explain the Superbowl halftime show to me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [February 10, 2025, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131 "2025-02-10T13:48:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/21 "2025-02-10T16:28:08Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I, for one, would _love_ to see a pagan satanic cultist perform a halftime show. Would that be some kind of duo medley with a druid and Baphomet? I’m definitely interested. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/22 "2025-02-10T16:31:11Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > And, as I’ve said, I’ve never really put the effort into deciphering lyrics. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > I readily acknowledge my preference for non-electronic instruments. I think these two things pretty much put rap outside of your wheelhouse. It’s almost entirely about rhythm and lyrics, not melody or music. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/23 "2025-02-10T16:31:57Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > From the FB post you quote. I don’t even understand what this means. I could not understand a word other than “tiramisu.” So this “explanation” sheds little light to folk who are not already fans. It’s referencing a song by Dead Prez called “Bigger Than Hip Hop” that talks about the record business that sanitizes their community’s experiences. I am not a fan of this genre, and don’t really listen to _any_ music much at all. But I’ve read the articles posted in this thread, and have the ability to Google terms I’m unfamiliar with. The articles themselves are really helpful (thank you to who posted them), and they shed plenty of light on Lamar’s message, as well as where to look for more information. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/24 "2025-02-10T16:53:58Z")
> [@Zoobi](#): > > It will be interesting to see who the halftime act will be next year. I am quite certain Trump will put his thumb on the scale as much as possible. His base was very unhappy with last night: The NFL is more interested in gaining new (younger) football fans, than appeasing a base that they already have locked in and that will never give up their Sunday ritual just because they don’t like the half time entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/25 "2025-02-10T16:57:13Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > I think these two things pretty much put rap outside of your wheelhouse. It’s almost entirely about rhythm and lyrics, not melody or music. You are likely correct. Just want to observe that, as someone who plays upright bass in groups lacking percussion, I am quite attuned to rhythm. But your second sentence quoted above caught my attention. Is it intentional that you seem to distinguish rap from “music”? > [@Munch](#): > > But I’ve read the articles posted in this thread, and have the ability to Google terms I’m unfamiliar with. The articles themselves are really helpful (thank you to who posted them), and they shed plenty of light on Lamar’s message, as well as where to look for more information. Yeah - I guess you are right. I acknowledged as much upthread. I guess I have a hard time approaching “art” or entertainment as imposing a research assignment. Perhaps analogously, I enjoy visiting art museums. At times, if I see something I don’t understand, or that sparks my curiosity, I will seek additional information/context. If something just doesn’t appeal to me, I can simply move on to the next work. But it is unusual that a particular work/genre of art will receive the popular publicity rap has received these past couple of decades. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/26 "2025-02-10T17:00:16Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Is it intentional that you seem to distinguish rap from “music”? No, I just didn’t quite know what word to use to stand in for “sound generated by traditional western instruments like pianos, guitars, and strings”. In my cultural context that is “music”, but obviously that’s reductive and incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/27 "2025-02-10T17:05:15Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > And, as I’ve said, I’ve never really put the effort into deciphering lyrics. You really do seem to have difficulty with the notion of people enjoying music for the poetry in the lyrics. In your ‘explain Taylor Swift to me’ thread you spent a great deal of time resisting the explanation that for a lot of Taylor’s fans the appeal lies in the poetry/message of the lyrics. This is true to an even greater extent in rap & hip hop. I mean, sure there’s the rhythms and the hooks, but the core of what makes any rapper great is the message and the poetry. Since you profess not to care much about those things, there’s really not much to explain that’s going to strike a chord with you. (pun absolutely intended) ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/28 "2025-02-10T17:08:34Z")
A very enlightening discussion - thanks to all who provided food for thought. I confess I slept through the half time show (hey, on this side of the Atlantic it was waaaay late!) - but I will go back and watch and try to make sense of it (even though I know very little about rap and am not a fan). Have I got this much correct: Some of what was going on was the rapper/streaming equivalent of an old fashioned reality TV Twitter spat; but this was in parallel to an observation on the nature of American society, and the way black communities are controlled? j ETA: not a rap fan, but (musical observation) oddly I don’t mind French rap - possibly because my French isn’t good enough to understand it, and also partly because rap works fascinatingly well in the French language ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/29 "2025-02-10T17:14:16Z")
I feel like half of the criticism is basically that it was not really all that spectacular, and if a Super Bowl halftime show should be anything, a _spectacle_ is it. I mean, it was certainly topical and artistic, but it wasn’t really what a Super Bowl halftime show is commonly imagined to be. That said, they’ve been steadily trending downhill for a decade at least. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/30 "2025-02-10T17:20:22Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I acknowledged as much upthread. I guess I have a hard time approaching “art” or entertainment as imposing a research assignment. You know, you’re right - I’m sorry if I came off as dismissive. I think I was lumping you in with everyone in the Super Bowl thread who was wearing their ignorance on their sleeve with pride. You were upfront with not knowing anything about it (the same boat I’m in), expressing a desire to learn. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/31 "2025-02-10T17:24:38Z")
This is very funny. 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 > **[Matt Binder (@mattbinder.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/mattbinder.bsky.social/post/3lhtnmtdohz2j)** > > way funnier than the conservatives who hated Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show are the conservatives who thought he was doing the ultimate patriotic ode to America ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/32 "2025-02-10T17:32:54Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > and also partly because rap works fascinatingly well in the French language My French is vanishingly poor, and I agree that French rap is (usually) effective and entertaining and stimulating to listen to. I suspect a big part of it is the strong underlying influence of Afrobeat/Afropop in French music culture bringing a more intuitive sense of how to marry complex rhythm with vocal playfulness; even when I don’t understand what’s being said, I recognize that there’s frequently some nuanced verbal stuff happening. Contrasted with rapping in German (which I understand better than French) — to my ear, it’s often almost laughable in its bluntness and lack of sophistication. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/33 "2025-02-10T17:34:30Z")
I find it weird, to repeatedly be faced with something I just don’t understand. I try to not simply dismiss things that are unfamiliar to me. And I try to make at least some effort to understand why people seem to act differently than me. I favor Francis Beaufort’s view that one ought to be observant as to what is around them, and make some effort to comprehend it. My personal preferences tend towards the empirical sciences, as those more readily lend themselves to clear answers/explanations. I have spent considerable effort trying to figure out why so many people favor religion. Or Trump. I try to not simply accept my initial impression that “Those people are stupid/whatever.” But I have become comfortable with my understanding that the worship of g/God/s or Trump does not appeal to me. With religion/Trump, my study has led me to - um - somewhat negative impressions of people who believe. I guess I can appreciate what I’ll call “rap lite” - like Hamilton. But a particular genre of music is far less important IMO than religion/Trump. I guess I ought to just realize that I’ve listened to enough rap to understand that it is not for me. I’ll do my best to not post a near-identical OP NEXT Superbowl! ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/34 "2025-02-10T17:50:23Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > My father-in-law kept on saying “I can’t understand anything. Can any of you understand him? Are there actual words here?” Now, he’s a Trumper and a bit of a racist, so I suspect some of _that_ was behind his questions/complaints. Possibly, but once again the sound mixing was atrocious. Shitty sound mixing is a continuous feature of Super Bowl halftime shows and there have been plenty of them where I actually know the words (this was not one of those shows) and still can’t actually hear any lyrics with any intelligibility. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/35 "2025-02-10T18:01:47Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Possibly, but once again the sound mixing was atrocious. Shitty sound mixing is a continuous feature of Super Bowl halftime shows and there have been plenty of them where I actually know the words (this was not one of those shows) and still can’t actually hear any lyrics with any intelligibility.   I noticed the terrible sound mixing in the pregame show. It’s a challenging environment of course, but I want to hear the singer _and_ the band. It was especially bad with the rendition of starring Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shorty. They mixed the trombone down to almost nothing! ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/36 "2025-02-10T18:06:47Z")
If you can’t understand the lyrics, then there’s really no point to rap. The choreography was meh; and of course there’s not much to say musically (because musicality is not relevant. It’s not designed to get people up and dancing). So it was just Lamar stalking around the stage and mumbling. In other words: boring. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/37 "2025-02-10T18:08:05Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I noticed the terrible sound mixing in the pregame show. It’s a challenging environment of course, but I want to hear the singer _and_ the band. It was especially bad with the rendition of starring Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shorty. They mixed the trombone down to almost nothing! That’s curious. I did not hear the trombone to be missing in that song. Instead, as a bassist, I found myself wanting more tuba! (Thanks for reminding me. Need to google who the heck Lauren Daigle is…) On edit - ah - contemporary christian. Yeah, nothing I needto pay any more attention to. Pleasant enough rendition, tho. And - yeah - big old barns are challenging music venues. But I’d have to think this was not the first time music was presented in the Superdome. And the broadcast was not exactly lacking in terms of tech support. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/38 "2025-02-10T18:22:56Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > It was especially bad with the rendition of _America the Beautiful_ starring Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shorty. Edited in the song title that was missing. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > Instead, as a bassist, I found myself wanting more tuba! That’s my second complaint. 😃 I’m a trombonist, so somewhat biased of course, but Trombone Shorty was being featured along with the singer. I could hear that he was playing, but not really what. And then the tuba was basically holding a sign for “Trombone Shorty” for all the good he was doing. Maybe there’s a clean take of the rehearsal or another venue of the same number. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/39 "2025-02-10T18:29:41Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > A couple of years back when with a group of musicians I was suggesting my ignorance about rap was a shortcoming on my part. IMO, this is at least in part a way of pushing back against the attitude from some older folks that younger folks being ignorant of bands like The Beatles is a shortcoming on their part. It’s saying “If my ignorance of a band that was hugely popular 50 years ago is a shortcoming on my part, then your ignorance of an artist who’s hugely popular today is a shortcoming on your part, too.” ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131/40 "2025-02-10T18:53:43Z")
TBF, the Beatles aren’t just any old band that was popular 50 years ago. They’re a bit more than that. It remains to be seen if Kendrick Lamar has the same kind of impact and longevity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-rap-hip-hop-kl-fans-explain-the-superbowl-halftime-show-to-me/1014131.md?page=3)