Viewers of the Super Bowl have come to expect a showstopping performance with elaborate costumes, choreography, artists, and everything in between. However, at this 2025 Superbowl performance, Kendrick Lamar offered a production of the same high caliber, that proved to be showstopping in quite a different way.
While the meaning behind the Superbowl performance this year may’ve gone over the heads of many viewers, there were plenty of underlying messages that presented themselves over the course of the show.
Beginning with the character Uncle Sam, who’s often presenting a personified narrative of a white, patriotic, American man, was portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson. His personification of Uncle Sam progressively morphed into Uncle Tom, which was meant to play on “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. For those who might not be familiar with the novel; the premise follows black Americans that essentially rejected and “turned their backs” on the black community and allowed themselves to be subject to blind subservience towards white Americans. Jackson also made sure to critique Lamar’s performance for being “too loud, too ghetto, and too reckless”, which was meant to communicate a stereotype that’s often associated with Black Americans and more specifically, hip-hop music.
An additional important point to note was at the very beginning of the performance where Lamar says, “The revolution is about to be televised; You picked the right time, but the wrong guy”. Interestingly enough, that line is a reference to a poem titled, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”, written by Gil Scott-Heron. The poem speaks to the idea that change comes from the individual and not the corporation and that the media neglects to display the true violence of racism. The “wrong guy” reference has been speculated by many to be a slight diss at the current President Donald Trump, due to the preconceived notion that Lamar doesn’t think highly of him, which he’s not been afraid to mention in a couple of his songs.
Another heavy subject brought to light from this performance was the topic of mass incarceration. The set of the dance crew (intentionally being all Black Americans), was meant to depict a prison yard and speak to the rates at which black Americans are incarcerated in comparison to White Americans. Beyond this performance, Lamar has made his stance on mass incarceration widely known based on a prior performance of his, where he dressed in a prison uniform at the 2016 Grammys.
An additional speculated theme of the performance came to fruition on stage when the backup dancers (who were all dressed in red, white, and blue) gathered to form the American flag and put their backs in the air. Although it isn’t explicitly stated, many have begun to theorize that this imagery combined with the position of the dancers, is meant to depict that America was built on the backs of Black Americans and slavery. Shortly after this, the dancers separate and the flag divides, which pretty clearly alludes to the many divisions throughout the nation.
One of the other sprinkles of symbolism added to the performance was when Lamar stated, “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music”. 40 acres of land was what was originally promised to every formerly enslaved Black American when slavery was abolished, and that was of course never awarded and is often used as a memento to speak on the reparations that Black Americans are owed but never received.
One of the final pieces of the Super Bowl performance worth noting was the presence of Serena Williams on stage, not only was she present, but she was “crip walking”. Despite growing up in Compton, Williams has been previously shamed for “crip walking” during her 2012 Olympic victory, where many viewers considered the act to glamorize violence or be tasteless. Not only was this meant to diss those who shamed her for her means of celebration after her tennis match, but it was also a diss to Drake from his former romantic partner during the song “They Not Like Us”, which he happens to be the topic of.
Despite any distasteful feelings that people may have about Kendrick Lamar, one thing that can be agreed on, is that he is choosing to use his platform as an artist for the greater good of all, specifically Black Americans. Kendrick highlighted many serious topics concerning the mistreatment and suffrage of Black Americans all in one short performance. He continues to prove his passion for what matters most to him and uses his following and fanbase to bring awareness to all of it, and that alone is respectable.