I can’t really call myself much of a football fan, but I would say I am a fan of the Super Bowl halftime show. Every year, the performance seems to top the last, but this year felt truly unbeatable. What made Kendrick Lamar’s show so special wasn’t just the music or the energy—it was the thought, symbolism, and storytelling woven into every part of the performance.
Rap performances at the Super Bowl have often been lackluster, either due to censorship, production choices, or a misunderstanding of how to translate hip-hop to a stadium audience. But Lamar defied all of that. He didn’t just perform, he made a statement. From the set design to the dancers, the music to the colors, everything had a deeper meaning. After rewatching the show countless times, here’s my interpretation of the powerful messages hidden within Lamar’s performance.
Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam—or Uncle Tom?
One of the most striking elements of the show was Samuel L. Jackson’s role as a game master-like figure, dictating rules to Lamar throughout the performance. While many saw him as a representation of Uncle Sam, I think he more closely resembles an Uncle Tom figure. His repeated phrases “Too reckless, too ghetto, Mr. Lamar. Do you really know how to play the game?” echo long-standing criticisms of Black artists and the hip-hop community as a whole. These lines aren’t just personal to Lamar; they reflect the societal expectations placed on Black individuals, policing how they should behave and succeed within the system.
The Stage as a Rigged Game
Lamar’s stage wasn’t just a performance space, it was a metaphor. The setup resembled a game, with messages flashing in the crowd like “WARNING: WRONG WAY” and “GAME OVER.” These weren’t just for aesthetics; they reinforced the idea that success for Black artists and individuals often comes with invisible barriers and unwritten rules designed to limit their power.
Lamar himself acknowledged this directly in his performance, saying, “The revolution is about to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy.” Given the increasing polarization of the world, the line takes on even greater meaning. It’s also worth to consider that President Donald Trump happened to be at this year’s Super Bowl, making him the first U.S. president to ever attend in person. The timing of it all was almost too perfect.
This may also explain why one of Lamar’s dancers decided to wave a Palestinian flag during the performance. Whether it was planned or spontaneous, the act aligned with the larger themes of resistance and speaking out against injustice that Lamar wove into his set.
Reclaiming a Stolen Legacy
One of the most powerful lines from his set was: “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music.” This references the unfulfilled promise made to formerly enslaved African Americans after the Civil War—land and resources that were never delivered, leaving lasting economic disparities. Lamar follows this with “They tried to rig the game, but you can’t fake influence.” He’s making it clear: while America has long tried to discredit and suppress Black contributions, their cultural impact remains undeniable.
A Divided America, A Call to the Black Community
During the performance of “HUMBLE.,” Lamar’s dancers formed the image of a divided American flag—a direct commentary on the current state of the country. Whether this was a jab at Trump or simply an acknowledgment of the polarization in America today, the message was clear: we are a nation at odds with itself.
The show also seemed to extend beyond political divisions and into cultural ones. Though the ongoing rap feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake might seem like just another hip-hop rivalry, Lamar’s show felt like a call to the Black community: to be mindful of who profits off their culture and to protect the integrity of their history and influence.
A Message for Those Who Wouldn’t Get It
Lamar has never been one to spoon-feed his messages, and he anticipated that much of his performance would go over people’s heads. In his opening song, he rapped, “You would not get the picture if I sat you down for hours in front of the Louvre.” True to his words, many mainstream viewers and critics didn’t understand the layers of meaning behind his show. Fox News even went so far as to call it “one of the worst halftime performances in Super Bowl history,” further proving Lamar’s point that his art is often misunderstood by those unwilling to engage with it.
A Love Letter to His City and His People
I could go on and on about the hidden symbolism in Lamar’s halftime show, from the way he intertwined his own journey to the larger struggles of Black America. But at its core, this performance felt like a love letter to his hometown of Compton, the Black community, and to hip-hop itself.
More than just entertainment, Lamar’s performance was a powerful act of storytelling. It deepened my appreciation for artists like him and SZA, who use their platforms to spark awareness and change. More than ever, I feel grateful to have the knowledge and perspective to truly understand the deeper meaning behind his show. Whether or not mainstream audiences fully grasped it, Lamar’s halftime show will be remembered as one of the most important and unapologetically Black performances in Super Bowl history.