Dave Free Responds To Critics Of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

Dave Free has broken his silence regarding the mixed reception of Kendrick Lamar‘s Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show performance, as the rapper’s creative partner disregarded qualms about the lack of signature songs included in the set.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Free, Lamar’s manager and the former President of Top Dawg Entertainment, spoke on he and K.Dot’s vision for the historic appearance.

According to the Cali native, the pair opted to stray from the normal approach of Lamar performing his most commercially successful songs in favor of creating a moment more groundbreaking and memorable.

“We wanted this performance to have a cinematic and theatrical element to it,” the renowned filmaker and director told WSJ. “We can confidently say that there’s no Super Bowl performance that’s quite like this one.”

According to Free, he and Lamar began putting the pieces to the set in place after brainstorming and watching every Super Bowl Halftime Show in history.

The duo took particular inspiration in past performances such as Michael Jackson’s inaugural headlining appearance at Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, as well as Prince and Beyoncé’s sets at Super Bowl XLI and Super Bowl XLVII, respectively.

Furthermore, Free shared that he and Lamar’s goal with the performance was to capture the rawness of the Black American experience.

“The feel of it is Black America,” the 38-year-old explained. “What does Black America look like, and how to control that narrative of what it means to be Black in America versus what the world’s perspective of that is.”

As for complaints regarding the absence of seminal cuts from Kendrick’s catalog, Free insisted that the Super Bowl Halftime Show performance “wasn’t about playing the hits,” but presenting a cohesive stage show representing something greater.

Read Dave Free’s Wall Street Journal profile here.