Talk about seizing the moment – the NFL Super Bowl halftime show has rarely captured the zeitgeist as precisely as it did this year with headliner Kendrick Lamar.
This was no victory lap or coronation. It was a stage to showcase an artist completely in command of his craft and a brief rest stop before his US and Canada stadium tour begins in April.
At the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Lamar – the first solo rapper to headline – delivered a tight, boisterous 13-minute set, much of which teased whether he'd perform the Drake-baiting Not Like Us. But we’ll get to that later.
As the lights dimmed, the show opened with the unmistakable voice of actor Samuel L Jackson in character as historic US propaganda figure Uncle Sam, wearing a star-spangled suit, declaring, “This is the great American game".
We then see Lamar, in a varsity sports jacket and gloves, hunched on the bonnet of a chrome-black Buick GNX – the car that inspired the title of his latest album, GNX – kicking off the show with a taut snippet of Bodies, an unreleased track, which defiantly compares his artistry to masterpieces in the Louvre. As the production picks up, more than a dozen red-clad dancers stream out of from the car’s passenger seat as they prepare to shadow Lamar for the majority of the performance.
Next came Squabble Up, with Lamar delivering its spidery wordplay atop a staircase – a track destined to be a highlight of his coming tour. Bouncy and sleek, it’s perhaps the closest Lamar has come to crafting a club banger, driven by a pulsating synth line and a fabulous sample of Debbie Deb’s 1980s hit When I Hear Music.
An exasperated Jackson then returns to the sidelines of the stage with a pep talk reminiscent of his role in the 2005 basketball drama, Coach Carter. “No. Too reckless, too loud. Too ghetto,” he chastens. “Mr Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up.”
The set then transitions as Lamar delivers back-to-back hits, Humble and DNA, from his 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning album Damn. Humble, performed within a grid of expressionless dancers, echoed the striking visuals of its music video, while the latter, blended with 2024’s horn-led Euphoria, had Lamar marauding across the field with his troupe, mirroring the song’s paranoid intensity.
Not interested in conjuring any more of the past, Lamar lasered in on two tracks from GNX – first, another snippet of the reflective Man at the Garden, huddled under a street lamp, before launching into the heaving Peekaboo. He teased the crowd with the declaration, “I want to perform my favourite song,” punctuated by a brief snippet of Not Like Us.
The ploy worked, leaving the thrilled audience wondering if Lamar would actually go so far as to perform his much-discussed diss track on stage.
The question lingered as a red-clad SZA, co-headliner of Lamar’s coming tour, glided onto the stage for soulful renditions of the sultry Luther and All the Stars. Lamar then launched into the opening verse of Not Like Us, delivering sharp barbs at Drake, while omitting the most scathing lines. It felt less like a crescendo and more like an inevitability, as he closed the show with the high-energy TV Off.
In an interview with Apple Music before the show, Lamar sought to downplay the vicious and, at times, tawdry nature of his battle with Drake, likening it to a heated sports rivalry. With his competitor vanquished and Lamar celebrating on the Super Bowl stage, his performance felt like the start of an enduring hip-hop championship reign.
Drake barbs weren't the only controversy sparked by the performance. Towards the end of the show, one of the dancers unfurled a banner combining the flags of Palestine and Sudan during his performance of Not Like Us. The image could initially be seen on the live feed of the performance around the 11-minute and 20-second mark.
The move prompted a response from the NFL, which released a statement confirming that the dancer was part of the show's cast and had been removed from the field.
"We commend security for quickly detaining the individual who displayed the flag," the league stated. "He was a part of the 400-member field cast. The individual hid the item in his possession and unveiled it late in the show. No one involved with the production was aware of his intent."
Super Bowl halftime show organisers, Roc Nation, also addressed the incident, clarifying that the act was not authorised. "The individual's actions were neither planned nor part of the production and were never included in any rehearsals," the company stated.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
More coverage from the Future Forum
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Result
Qualifier: Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Lahore: Eliminator 1 - Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
Wednesday, Lahore: Eliminator 2 – Karachi Kings v Winner of Eliminator 1
Sunday, Karachi: Final – Islamabad United v Winner of Eliminator 2
England XI for second Test
Rory Burns, Keaton Jennings, Ben Stokes, Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes (wk), Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Jack Leach, James Anderson
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
