Ahead of his highly anticipated Halftime Show at the Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, Feb. 9, Kendrick Lamar will sit down for an interview with Ebro Darden and Nedeska Alexis live in New Orleans to talk about his incredible year and what fans can expect from the show.
The official Kendrick Lamar interview is part of a block of programming with the artists performing at the Super Bowl. American Sign Language Artists Stephanie Nogueras, Otis Jones IV, and Matt Maxey as well as interviews with Jon Batiste, Ledisi, and Trombone Shorty with Lauren Daigle are set to air.
"A lot of people don't see the story before the glory," Lamar told Alexis and Ebro during the chat when reflecting on how far he's come from his early days in Compton. "I don't take it for granted at all. ... My intent, I think from day one, was to always to keep the nature of it as a sport. I don't care how motherfuckers look at it as far as a collaborative effort, that's cool too, but I love when artists grit they teeth. I still watch battle raps... This has always been the core definition of who I am."
He described his efforts from the past year, which include his string of Drake diss tracks and his No. 1 album GNX, as his desire to return to go back to "the bite, the grit of rap." He described "hard raps, good beats just smacking" as the core of hip-hop.
K Dot will perform at the Super Bowl on Sunday, and SZA is scheduled to join him as a special guest. "We haven't even had a chance to crash out about it, 'cause everything has been moving fast," said Kendrick when asked about her joining him at the Super Bowl. "She's always had it. I'm just honored to be next to that talent."
As for what to expect from the Super Bowl Halftime Show, he provided a keyword for fans: "Storytelling." He also shared his pre-performance preparation, which includes doing exercises including two-mile runs and push-ups, and listening to the Isley Brothers.
The interview comes just days after Kendrick's huge No. 1 diss track "Not Like Us" swept at the Grammys. The Drake diss picked up the awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video, all five of the categories it was nominated in. He's also coming off his acclaimed studio album GNX, which debuted at No. 1 and will be supported by a co-headlining tour with SZA later this year.
Listen to the full interview here.
