The American flag is demonstrated on televisions across America. Not the actual flag — but a collection of dancers dressed in red, white and blue, echoing it. And in the middle, stands the amazing Kendrick Lamar, making a statement about America through his artistic metaphors and undeniable talent: music.
Music of our generation has decreased in sentimental value and meaning. Listening to some popular songs angers me. They have no essence.
An example I use is “FE!N” by Travis Scott. It is played and sung everywhere. Think about the amount of times you’ve heard it at a Penn State football game.
Everyone sings it, too. It is widely known and loved, but why? I don’t get it. It is the same word over and over. “Fein, fein, fein, fein, fein”
It would be better if there was a deeper, core message behind it. But it doesn’t.
Our older generation went from songs by the Beatles to Billy Joel, and now have to hear this nonsense. I would be distraught if I were them.
Music is an art. It is a form of expressing yourself, your morals. It is a way to convey substance to an audience. This generation is lacking that.
Understanding this, you can see why I adored Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show. Why? Because there were significant underlying messages to it.
Lamar’s show was truly an art. Openly dissing Drake in front of millions was one thing, but he also was dissing America.
First of all, he started the halftime show having his dancers in a specific formation, one of a game controller. What is he telling us? America is a game? We are being controlled?
Then introducing Samuel L. Jackson, an African American man, playing the role Uncle Sam (the personification of America who is typically portrayed as white) was a statement in itself. But having him begin the halftime show by calling it “The great American game,” confirms that the controller implies we are pawns in a game.
Lamar goes on to say, “The revolution is about to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy.” This is him blatantly telling the audience that his show is more than just a performance, it’s an act of revolution against “the wrong guy” (President Donald Trump).
A dance performance outbreaks, which was so fun to watch. The show was getting engaging as they switched to a different scene. A scene where Lamar is surrounded by dancers dressed with the same color schemes as the American flag.
Meanwhile, Lamar is found in the middle of the flag breaking it right down the middle. With this representation, he could be depicting the obvious divide in America right now. The divide regarding Americans cultural, societal, and political differences.
In the crowd, there are lights that spell the words, “Warning, wrong way.” This is an interesting message Lamar is sending.
Various people have questioned if, by using “wrong way,” Lamar thinks that we are going back in history. Instead of moving forward in America, and advancing as a country, we are going backwards. We see this through the abortion bans all over the United States and all the laws President Donald Trump has undone since being in office.
Additionally, when Lamar threatened to perform “Not Like Us,” his diss track on Drake, he sang “I wanna perform they favorite song, but I know they love to sue.”
By emphasizing the lawsuits made because of the backlash on Drake, he is demonstrating how open with the public he is. He is obviously unafraid of making a statement and going against social norms, despite consequences.
Samuel L. Jackson states, “That’s what America wants, nice, calm. Don’t mess this up.” Jackson is claiming that the government dislikes protest.
The government simply wants us to accept actions they take, they do not want advocacy. The irony is that the whole show is doing quite the opposite.
Another notable moment is Lamar’s “Not Like Us” introduction. He says, “Its a cultural divide I’m gon get it on the floor.” He outright acknowledged the cultural divide that is happening in our country.
However, the most important part is when Lamar sings,“40 acres and a mule this is bigger than the music.” Not only does he outright state that his performance has a deeper, influential meaning than just the music, but he uses the saying “40 acres and a mule.”
“40 acres and a mule” was a term first used post Civil War in 1865 that referred to a promise to grant formerly enslaved African Americans land and resources. However, after this promise was made, it was unsuccessful, leaving the formerly enslaved people stranded.
Why did Lamar use this in his performance? To represent broken promises are prominent in America, especially ones regarding the black community. It demonstrates that those deceptions have not been forgotten, and will not be tolerated in today’s society.
Again, this connects to the idea that America is headed the “WRONG WAY.” Bringing up a connection to the past reminds Americans that this is our history. We can not allow it to reoccur, but the government’s current actions seem to be heading backwards.
Towards the end of the show, the National Anthem played while Lamar sang “Turn the TV off,” repeatedly over it, emphasizing that Americans are so easily distracted from the underlying problems occurring in society.
We need to “turn the tv off,” stop blatantly drowning ourselves with products and media, and understand the reality of America’s concerning issues before it is too late.
And lastly, I need to mention Kendrick Lamar’s iconic smile when he says, “Hey Drake.” He is truly asserting his dominance and success, which is inspirational.
All together, his show was a discreet but powerful stab at the current United States government. He is an inspiration, expressing his beliefs no matter who it may offend (and smiling brightly while doing it.)