Chance The Rapper has praised the dancer who waved a Palestinian flag during Kendrick Lamar‘s Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Appearing on a chat show with hosts Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and others, he praised Kendrick Lamar for the exceptional delivery at the show and also the protester who was later identified as Zül-Qarnain Nantambu.
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“I thought it was awesome…First of all, it was the first time a rapper headlined the Super Bowl. It’s long overdue. But I think it was an incredibly impactful performance. It was a great time to see and hear…what’s culturally relevant right now.”
Praising the protester, he said: “…I think one of the coolest things that I saw was, you know, it was a moment of protest and a moment of us getting to see what’s going on in the world…
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“So shout-out to Sudan, shout-out to Gaza, shout-out to Goma, and the people that are just suffering around the world. It was an opportunity for the world and for, you know, I’m saying the President of the United States to see what’s going on out there,” he added.
During Kendrick’s performance which had some 400 dancers and models, the dancer waved the Palestinian flag with the words “Sudan” and “Gaza” written on it.
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He reportedly jumped off the stage and ran across the field before he was chased down by security. The man is said to have been banned for life from attending NFL games.
In an interview after the arrest, Nantambu explained that his faith as a Muslim inspired to take the bold step.
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“As a practicing Muslim, our Prophet Mohammad teaches us: if you see a wrongdoing, or you’re aware of a wrongdoing, you must stop it,” he said.
“…So I had an opportunity on a grand scale to bring awareness of speak out against a wrong [against] our Muslim brothers and sisters. Because we’re spiritually connected in Islam, and we’re human and we’re connected with empathy for humanity,” he added.
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Asked if he would have still protested if he knew he would be banned from attending NFL games, he noted that he did not care so much about the ban.
“The risk of a ban? I was afraid I was gonna get sniped by a Secret Service’s bullet,” he said. “I can watch a football program on the television if I choose to, sir,” he said.
