On February 9, Kendrick Lamar made history as the first solo hip hop artist to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show, setting a new record as the most-watched halftime show ever. However, Lamar didn’t just perform a couple of his songs. He used the biggest stage in America to make a powerful statement.
Samuel L. Jackson opens the show as Uncle Sam, representing America as the beat for “Wacced Out Murals” is playing in the background. In the song, Lamar says, “I done lost plenty of friends, 16 to be specific.” Uncle Sam is wearing 16 stars, literally pinning the deaths of those friends on America.
“This is the great American game,” Jackson says. A fitting name for the Super Bowl, the phrase also calls attention to America’s “game.” The stage is a game controller representing Black people trying to play the American game, a game that is rigged to hold Black people back. The “game” is referenced numerous times throughout the show, with Uncle Sam constantly criticizing how Lamar plays that game.
Lamar says, “the revolution’s ‘bout to be televised, you picked the right time but wrong guy.” This is a reference to the 1971 poem and song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron. This poem critiques media culture and suggests the revolution can’t come from the media; instead, it must come from action. Lamar counters this with the idea that, in this day and age, the media plays a massive role in activism.
Uncle Sam criticizes Lamar’s performance of “Squabble Up,” complaining it’s “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up!” This mirrors public concern leading up to the show. Many people thought his music wouldn’t appeal to all audiences and that it was too scandalous for the Super Bowl stage. Additionally, Uncle Sam’s comments reflect how America has treated the Black community throughout history.
As Kendrick performs “HUMBLE,” backup dancers dressed in red, white and blue form an American flag. The dancers are all Black, signifying how America was built upon the backs of enslaved people. The flag is divided, with Lamar standing in the middle.
Lamar also performed “DNA,” “Euphoria,” “Man at the Garden,” and “Peekaboo.” However, the song everyone was anticipating was “Not Like Us.” The song was the product of a feud between Lamar and the artist Drake, winning five Grammys, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
“I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue,” Lamar says, referring to “Not Like Us,” which is currently at the center of a defamation lawsuit. Drake claims the “pedophile” and “rap colonizer” allegations Lamar poses are false and that the Universal Music Group harmed his reputation by promoting the song.
Listening to Uncle Sam, Lamar performs “luther” and “All the Stars” featuring SZA. SZA’s vocals are beautiful, and the tonal shift of the performance is what appeases Uncle Sam. He says “That’s what America wants, nice, calm. Don’t mess this—” Uncle Sam’s approval dissolves when he is interrupted by the “Not Like Us” string instrumental. Lamar won’t conform to what America wants; instead, he points out flaws in the system and emphasizes the need for change.
Then, Lamar says, “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music.” After slavery was abolished, the American government promised freed slaves 40 acres and a mule to start a life for themselves. This promise never materialized, leading to a cycle of economic struggle for Black Americans, which Lamar points out.
Kendrick finally performed “Not Like Us,” defying Uncle Sam. He looks straight into the camera while saying Drake’s name and turns the music off for the crowd to sing “a minor.” The camera cut to tennis player and Compton native Serena Williams crip-walking to the song. This is the same move she was heavily criticized for doing at the 2012 London Olympics.
Kendrick concluded his show by performing “TV Off,” featuring his producer Mustard. This circles back to “The Revolution Will Not be Televised,” as Lamar tells viewers to stop using media as their only form of activism. If you want to effect change, you have to get up and do something.
If you haven’t seen the halftime show, I strongly recommend that you drop everything and go watch it. It was an incredible performance, and I hope it inspires you to make a change in the world and speak out like Lamar did.