Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl Protester Faces Criminal Charges
Photo Credit: Diya TV
A protester during Kendrick Lamarâs historic Super Bowl halftime show back in February has been arrested and hit with criminal charges.Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, a 41-year-old New Orleans man who protested on stage during Kendrick Lamarâs Super Bowl halftime performance back in February, has been arrested.
Nantambu, who was employed as a performer for the show, surprised organizers by retrieving a mashup flag of Sudan and Palestine, printed with the words âFree Gaza.â He then ran across the field with the flag before he was tackled by security personnel and taken into custody. Notably, Nantambu had permission to be on the field, as he was one of the performers, but did not have permission to demonstrate.
An investigation followed, and an arrest warrant was issued shortly thereafter. Nantambu voluntarily surrendered himself into custody, and was booked on charges of resisting and officer and disturbing the peace.âWe take any attempt to disrupt any part of an NFL game, including the halftime show, very seriously and are pleased this individual will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,â said the NFL in a statement. âIn addition to the ongoing criminal case, the NFL banned the individual from attending any NFL games or events.
Nantambu has yet to issue a statement on the matter, while Kendrick Lamar has never acknowledged the incident.
Kendrick Lamarâs performance smashed previously held halftime show records with an astounding 133.5 million viewersâdethroning Michael Jacksonâs previously held record with 133 million viewers in 1993. Lamarâs show also saw more than 3% increased viewership from the previous yearâs performance by Usher.Moreover, the game itself became the most watched Super Bowl in history, with an average of 126 million viewers tuned in to watch the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs. Viewership peaked at 135.7 million during the gameâs second quarter.
Fans had wondered if Kendrick would perform his scathing Drake diss track, âNot Like Us,â despite threats of litigation. The song made a much-anticipated appearance, though Kendrick self-censored the notorious âcertified pedophileâ line. However, that didnât stop him from making numerous jabs at Drake throughout the show.
