Earlier this month, Kendrick Lamar made history with his performance at this year’s Super Bowl, headlining for what’s now considered the most-viewed Super Bowl Halftime Performance of all time. At face value, it seemed that Lamar used his time to highlight some of his most popular tracks and dig even deeper into his infamous rap battle with his rap artist rival Drake. However, looking closely at his performance, it’s clear something more was to be taken away from Lamar’s production.
While his performance was merely a medley of hits and collaborations from Lamar’s career to some, to many, it was apparent that the artist was urging viewers to look past the music. Lamar seized this opportunity to send a political message on one of the country’s most viewed stages, one glittered with themes and morals directly aimed toward President Donald Trump, who attended this year’s Super Bowl game. Furthermore, Lamar’s staging also presented him with a platform to advocate for the Black community within the nation against the vicious stereotypes that continue to inflict on their civil rights throughout American history.
There were many easter eggs throughout Lamar’s performance (some more obvious than others) that highlighted the different themes and symbolisms of what he was trying to convey about the political state of America today. In taking another look at the most viral Super Bowl Halftime show, here is a deep dive into the different aspects of Lamar’s performance that you might have missed the deeper meaning of.
Samuel L. Jackson as “Black Uncle Sam”
The show opens up with viewers greeted by Samuel L. Jackson, exclaiming, “Salutations, it’s your Uncle, Sam, and this is the great American Game.” These words, combined with his gimmick attire, sporting a patriotically-colored top hat and suit, make the picture clear that he is depicting Uncle Sam, a character who’s integral to American history, is continuously used to represent and personify the United States through symbolisms of the nation’s democratic governing. Throughout the history of Uncle Sam’s depiction, the character is notoriously personified as a white man, so fans found it an interesting commentary on Lamar’s part in portraying America’s patriotic mascot with a black complexion.
While this intention is backed by layered meaning, it’s clear that there is symbolism for the Black community in this execution. One perspective elaborated on in an article taken from Ebony interprets a Black Uncle Sam as a “metaphor for the elite Black figures propped up to maintain the status quo, reinforcing the same systems they seemingly defy.” Considering this with the umbrella themes of Lamar’s performance, it is apparent that this ties into his call to action on the hypocrisy and complexity rooted in modern-day media and politics.
“The Revolution”
After this introduction, Lamar begins performing, rapping “Bodies” while accompanied by dancers and stage productions in red, white, and blue cacophonies. Upon finishing his first song, Lamar addresses the viewers with a powerful statement.
“The revolution ‘bout to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy.”
Kendrick Lamar during the 59th Super Bowl Halftime Performance
This statement pays tribute to “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” a poem from 1971 by African American poet Gil Scott-Heron. According to The Hill, this poem is significant in acknowledging the unjust power divide between corporate America and everyone else, which is a part of their all-seeing system. A profound message in this poem is that systemic change can only be brought about if started by individuals who are victims of corporate control.
Lamar then goes into performing “Squabble Up” while his backup dancers imitate scenes of unruliness, imitating fighting gestures amongst one another on stage. The combination of the lyrics and dancing could very well signify Kendrick’s declaration of him “squabbling up” with the government and the recklessness some communities have left no choice but to partake in as a result of a disadvantaged social playing ground.
The American Game
After Lamar’s first act, the camera pans to a visibly upset Uncle Sam exclaiming, “No, no, no, no, no! Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto…Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up!” This is where the true meaning of the “American Game” begins to set in, where Black people have to “play” to fit the perceptions in America of being respectable and “non-threatening.” On the other hand, this game forces these communities to jump through social obstacles to erase the negative stereotypes that African Americans consistently face: being “ghetto” and rap being a violent genre instead of an outlet for Black culture. This essentially shoves Kendrick Lamar into a box, saying that to “win” the American game, he must put himself and his music into the mold that politics and society deem acceptable for Black people to shape themselves into.
Lamar then starts to perform more rap-heavy tracks, including “Humble,” “DNA,” “Euphoria,” and “Man at the Garden.” Lamar performs with the dancers around him, forming their colors to signify an American flag. However, this flag is severed with Lamar in the middle, signifying a broken America torn in two.
Visibly upset that Lamar isn’t listening to him, Uncle Sam returns irritated, “Ah! See, you brought your homeboys with you. The old culture cheat code! Scorekeeper, deduct one life.” Kendrick isn’t playing the game the way America wants him to. He’s being loud and proud, showing his authentic self and highlighting black culture in his lyrics. In this performance, this doesn’t bode well for him as this causes Lamar to lose a life in the “American Game.” This appears symbolic for a plethora of reasons, as many times, Black people who don’t code-switch or put themselves into the cage that American society wants to see them in can cost them their lives, seen with gun violence and unjust police brutality, to name a few.
“Forty acres and a mule this is bigger than the music. They tried to rig the game but you can’t fake influence.”
Kendrick Lamar during the 59th Super Bowl Halftime Performance
Before performing the highly anticipated diss track, “Not Like Us,” Lamar leaves viewers with this message. These lines are particularly important in Lamar’s protest against politics as he explains in these statements how divided America is especially with this new “era” of politics, one that is rooted in racist allegations and is dividing cultures in America.
For me, these are the lines that are integral to the most essential message of this performance. When Lamar refers to “Forty acres and a mule,” he’s giving a historical nod to the Civil War after the Union won. According to The Tribune, William Tecumseh Sherman, the Union general, had offered formerly enslaved people Confederate land, and they were promised 40 acres and a mule. However, when Andrew Jackson took over the presidency following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, this policy was overturned. This meant that this land went back to the Confederates, and the formerly enslaved black people were left with nothing.
Lamar carefully placed these words right before performing his most popular song to draw attention to the bigger injustices Black people still face today. These words served as a note of protest before the song started to show that this performance was more than the music. Entertainment was not the main focus; it was a discussion about the politics shaping our world. Lamar is reminding people about the injustices of their past while showcasing the injustices of the rigged game that Black people are still overcoming.
Serena Williams Crip Walking
During the performance of “Not Like Us,” Serena Williams makes a surprise appearance, shown on the screen crip walking alongside Lamar. Her appearance is rumored to have had many meanings to the show, including a dig at Drake for their rumored past relationship. In the past, Drake has made unfavorable references to Williams in multiple songs, so many saw this as a “final word” on Williams’ part concerning their controversy.
However, a significant story about the athlete’s past is also told from the dance she did, crip walking. She received heavy backlash from the media when she crip-walked after winning the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. A quote from Fox Sports’ Jason Whitlock obtained by Time News states, “What Serena did was akin to cracking a tasteless, X-rated joke inside a church.” Williams has faced many instances full of racial injustice over her years being one of few Black women in tennis, facing numerous cases of discrimination to make her way to the top of the tennis world despite the box the world placed her in. In this context, Williams doing the same dance on one of the biggest national sporting event stages in the U.S. shows her rebellion against the allegations pointed at her inciting gang violence, showing her making her out of the rigged game and highlighting her influence.
Lamar’s Warning to “Turn off” the media
Lamar ends his halftime performance with “TV off.” This song played into his message of the “Great American Game,” further signifying that the focus of the performance goes beyond the entertainment value. The camera pans out towards the end of his performance to show the stage layout, with the dancers in separate formations across the field, which seem to signify a game controller. The middle of the game controller looks like a prison yard. This is a clear signification of the “American Game” but also the one that Black people play, being trapped in a system that is continuously prejudiced against them. Kendrick ends his performance with the camera panning to the crowd, the words “Game Over” illuminating overhead.
Lamar used this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl to showcase his lyricism in a time so gutted by controversial American politics. Many more intricate details of this performance can allude to Kendrick Lamar’s actions of political protest; many of his messages in this performance are still trying to be deciphered.
In my opinion, I believe that this performance was truly intricate and impactful, it had a great combination of the hype a Super Bowl performance should have but it showed that sometimes the most unexpected times for protest can prove to be the most effective. The best shows are the ones that go past the music and keep you thinking about them long after they are done. With the political polarity facing our nation in 2025, we have a lot to think about and advocate for with the politics facing our country today, or else it’s game over.