Kendrick Lamar’s Messages During the Super Bowl Halftime Show
(Photo courtesy of SZA’s verified Instagram account @sza)
Kerry Kadel | Editor-in-Chief
Many were anticipating the performance of Compton native and Pulitzer Prize winner, rapper Kendrick Lamar for the Super Bowl halftime show. He is the first solo rapper to headline the halftime show for the big event, and for his performance he brought West Coast hip-hop to the game.
Beginning with the start of the performance, many viewers such as myself were surprised to see award-winning actor Samuel L. Jackson dressed up as Uncle Sam, the personification of the United States and its government. Jackson as Uncle Sam proclaims, “This is the great American game!”
At first, it sounds like a satirical role playing off the actor’s name, no harm to it. The camera shifts to Lamar on top of a car beginning with “Bodies,” an unreleased song from his recent album GNX before stating, “The revolution about to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy.” At this point, multiple dancers have erupted from the car, all dressed in red, white, and blue jumpsuits.
Before I continue, let’s break down what’s happened so far: Samuel L. Jackson is casted as Uncle Sam, who’s been depicted as a white man ever since its artistic depiction in 1830. However, The Hill pointed out that instead of the patriotic father of the United States, Jackson’s Uncle Sam takes on the role of Uncle Tom. The term “Uncle Tom” comes from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and has been labeled derogatory to describe an individual in the black community who have turned their backs on their culture and have become submissive, embracing subservience to white America. Some of Jackson’s lines as Uncle Sam tie into this later on during the performance.
Now, this quote about the revolution comes from the song and poem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” from American jazz singer, poet, and author, Gil Scott-Heron. Scott-Heron’s song is full of meaning, specifically how one can not be a passive participant in a revolution, that one has to be in the streets, to take action and make a statement from it. Obviously when next to each other, Lamar tweaked the lyrics, but it insinuates a deeper meaning due to the state of America right now. “You picked the right time but the wrong guy,” reflects the activism happening right now in the United States, with everyone speaking out about many issues, but that the country is being led by Donald Trump once again. Lamar has been known to criticize Trump, which is prominent in his songs “The Heart Part 4” and “XXX.” President Trump was present at the Super Bowl, and many fans assume Lamar’s performance was inspired by this and the state of which individuals fear these changing times.
Lamar’s performance moves into his song “squabble up” from GNX, and after this section finishes, the camera swings back to Jackson’s Uncle Sam shouting, “No, no, no! Too loud, too reckless, too…ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up!”
It’s here that “Humble” from Lamar’s album DAMN. plays, where the dancers in their American flag-colored jumpsuits form a flag around Lamar. According to The Hill, during this sequence of the performance, the dancers have various moves that have their backs pointed up to the sky, referencing how America was built on the backs of slaves and the system of slavery. The flag then divides, which could allude to the cultural divide of America and its two political counterparts. Uncle Sam’s words here can be a callback to his whole demeanor as an Uncle Tom in disguise of Uncle Sam. Kendrick Lamar is being called “loud,” “reckless,” and “ghetto,” which can be seen as discriminatory racial terms surrounding the black community, and that it implies Lamar is out of line during America’s favorite sport while being his unapologetic self.
As Lamar begins his song “D.N.A.”, viewers see the stage in a wide shot, a long-scale stage of gray stone that resembles a prison yard. The dancers also walk within circles later on in the performance, mimicking prisoners walking around a penitentiary lot. Lamar is no stranger to incorporating the mass incarceration issue of black individuals into his performances, as he performed in a prison jumpsuit at the 2016 Grammy awards with backup dancers in cells.
Throughout his renditions of “Euphoria,” “Man at the Garden,” and “Peekaboo,” Lamar teases the audience by playing background tracks from his five-time Grammy-winning diss-track “Not Like Us,” which was the hottest single of 2024. “I wanna make a move,” Lamar says between songs to his group of dancers. “I wanna perform they favorite song, but you know they love to sue.”
This line and the song itself are a direct reference to the rivalry between Lamar and Canadian singer, rapper, and actor Drake. Many know Drake from his acting role on Degrassi: The Next Generation. The two had always had a friendly feud since collabing with each other in the early times of their careers, but everything turned sour when Drake and rapper J. Cole released their song “First Person Shooter.” Lamar returned with Metro Boomin’ and Future with their song “Like That,” but after Drake released his diss “Push Ups,” Lamar made sure Drake knew he wasn’t going to let everything go that easily. Billboard has a more in-depth look at their feud’s beginning to Feb. ninth for the halftime show.
Lamar continued the theme of performing his older songs versus new ones from GNX, bringing out Grammy-winning R&B singer SZA who has two features from Lamar’s recent album and will tour with him as well. The pair performed “luther” and “All the Stars” from Marvel’s Black Panther. Jackson’s Uncle Sam reappears on camera, praising Lamar for a more timid, friendlier, conventional performance that’s more suitable for America’s biggest game.
“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about! That’s what America wants! Nice and calm. You’re almost there, don’t mess this…” and that’s when the hottest single of 2024 plays. Uncle Sam leaves the camera frame, dejected, because he realizes Kendrick isn’t listening to him, nor does he seem to be making an impact on Kendrick’s decisions when it comes to the songs being played. Not many articles have a say on this, but from a personal standpoint, I see it just how it was: Uncle Sam, or America and its conventional values, can’t hold back the voice of a black man–especially when their his own songs–and the choices he makes for the good of his culture.
The diss-track that won five Grammys had the entire crowd cheering upon its turn for the performance. While the song centers on Drake, Kendrick doesn’t only let the “Back to Back” rapper feel his incredible lyrical missiles, however, many fans and listeners have since gone wild over the single line that many joke was the line that ended Drake.
In “Not Like Us”, Lamar raps about Drake’s allegations of being in relationships and having too many connections with female minors. Not only that, but Kendrick also makes mention of Drake hating women, while also insinuating that the Canadian rapper is a misogynistic gay man. He has made reference to this in his earlier diss-track “Euphoria”, also aimed at Drake.
However, the crowd in attendance at the Super Bowl and viewers at home were eager for the one line that cemented Lamar winning the feud.
“Why you trollin’ like a b*tch, ain’t you tired? Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor…”
The broadcast had unmuted the audience, so everyone at home could hear the crowd scream the line that dropped jaws on the first listen. Right after, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, you see Serena Williams–yes, former professional tennis player Serena Williams–dancing on stage in a blue outfit with matching Converse. Williams had a fling with Drake that was never confirmed to be official, but the rapper admitted to Williams being the muse for many of his songs.
Finally, Kendrick Lamar ended his halftime performance with his song “tv off,” joined by famous producer Mustard dancing with him for a few lines while holding a football. Westword describes how provincial it was for the show to end with this song, as its lyrics refer to issues such as police brutality, revolution, and the need to stay informed.
It really is no shock as to how Kendrick Lamar incorporates what’s happening in the world into his music and stage presence. He is a lyrical force to be met with and an activist on stage with his specific set designs, outfits, and choreography. It’s been known that since dropping diss-track after diss-track to show how he has the upper hand, no one wants to get into a brawl with Kendrick Lamar.
Yet his performance was impactful as it was artistic, and while many such as myself started out watching it to see where “Not Like Us” would end up, it turned into looking deeper within the dancing, stage design, and more. With the state of America right now, it’s hard to see where everyone will end up and if everything will turn out positive in the end. Maybe positive is too hopeful of a word, especially now, but I think what one can take away from this show is that speaking up for what you believe in is the right thing to do, that not everyone will be on your side, and that’s okay. If you believe in a cause with all your heart, don’t sit back and do nothing about how it really makes you feel.
What did you think of the performance? Any hidden details we missed? Tag us on our socials and let us know what you thought about the halftime show!