Kendrick Lamar, per usual, put on a stellar performance during the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show on Sunday (Feb. 13), but what fans may have missed is his subtle recognition of the late Virgil Abloh. While performing his medley of “m.A.A.d City” and “Alright,” he donned a double-breasted suit, jewelry buttons and a silk shirt straight from the designer’s final Louis Vuitton collection.
The assortment of clothing, Abloh’s fall/winter 2022 showcase, was the last collection LV’s artistic director completed before cancer took his life in November. In honor of his death, the brand’s menswear line debuted the pieces in Miami and most recently, during Paris Fashion Week.
As fans know, Lamar took Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium alongside Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem for a trailblazing Super Bowl halftime show. Per reports, he wasn’t the only one who paid homage to a lost loved one on the public platform. The Los Angeles Ram honored the late Nipsey Hussle, coming out on the field to the late rapper’s “Last Time That I Checc’d.” Dr. Dre saluted Tupac Shakur with his performance of “California Love” and when he played the beat of “I Ain’t Mad at Cha” on the keys. Snoop Dogg also used the opportunity to pay tribute to his mother, Beverly Broadus Green, who passed away back in October. On the set of his solo performance of “The Next Episode” was a photo of him and his mom. It was one of the many photos Snoop posted on social media when he announced that his mother had transitioned.
As for the other headliners, there were no apparent praises of those who have passed, but there were tributes nonetheless. Eminem, for example, honored Colin Kaepernick when he took a knee at the end of his set. 50 Cent paid homage to his G-Unit days, and many joked that Blige was performing in honor of Zeke, the son of Monet Tejada, her character on “Power.”