On February 9th history was made. Kendrick Lamar took to the field to perform the annual Super Bowl LIX half-time show - a coveted slot if ever there was one. Lamar let loose with a blisteringly delivered 13-minute set, amidst a meticulously staged and choreographed stage performance. The result was a mind-blowing spectacle of incendiary hip-hop and ferociously charged political commentary.
The overwhelming response to this spotlight performance hasn't just been indicated by glowing reviews and thinkpiece analyses of Lamar's themes and targets (was it Trump, racism, consumerism or Drake that he was most taking aim at?). The Apple Music-backed set has resulted in a huge upswing in sales, streams and public awareness of the Compton-born rapper.
On the strength of these numbers, we'd say he's comfortably become the world's biggest hip-hop artist.
Let's break down that claim. Firstly, a quick look at Kendrick's Spotify numbers. Since the performance, Lamar's monthly listeners have risen to over 100.1 million, sitting him within a small ensemble of nine artists who have also reached gone over the 100 mil mark, including the arguably more 'playlistable' The Weeknd and Bruno Mars.
