While it was easy to understand the Philadelphia Eagles’ big-game victory against the Kansas City Chiefs — as they outplayed the 2023 and 2024 Super Bowl champions the entire matchup — it takes a bit of decoding to understand the nuances of Kendrick Lamar’s exciting halftime show on Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.By halftime, the Eagles were already leading the Chiefs 24-0, and many people were already calling Super Bowl LIX in favor of Philadelphia and anxiously awaiting the rapper’s halftime show.Born as Kendrick Lamar Duckworth and raised in Compton, California, the 37-year-old Grammy-winning rapper’s halftime show was an unapologetic celebration of Black culture, hip-hop and the West Coast.
This was not Lamar’s first time performing at the big game — having also appeared in Dr. Dre’s 2022 halftime show. However, this time, as the solo headliner, Lamar used his performance to give Americans a wake-up call.From honoring Gil Scott-Heron to various scenes showcasing relatable experiences for Black Americans to having Serena Williams Crip walk during his hit song “Not Like Us” (2024), the artist honored the power of African American narratives. With President Donald Trump present for the big game — after recently eliminating federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming — Lamar’s halftime show, during Black History Month, was much like a musical and told a captivating story.
“Kendrick Lamar was the [first] ever rapper to solo headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show [and] it was flawless,” one person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, before shouting out Jay-Z, who, with RocNation, curates the annual performance. “A lot of people love to discredit him but it’s time to give the legends their flowers while they’re alive to smell them.”Breaking Down the Moments: Sza, Serena Williams, the Drake DramaOpening the show was Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam, casting that acted more than a coincidence in name, as he plays a symbol of systemic American control and censorship against African Americans.
With the field flashing the famous triangle, square and circle from the Netflix show “Squid Games,” Jackson kicks off the show saying: “Salutations. It’s your Uncle Sam, and this is the great American game.” While it was the Super Bowl halftime show, it became apparent throughout Lamar’s performance that Jackson, as Uncle Sam, wasn’t referring to the big game between the Chiefs and Eagles. It was the game of life for Black Americans.After starting with a teaser of the song “GNX” (2024), Lamar offered a nod to Scott-Heron, the late outspoken poet, saying: “The revolution’s about to be televised. You picked the right time for the wrong guy” before beginning the 2024 song “Squabble Up.” The performance of “Squabble Up” highlighted the power in unity when defending and celebrating Black culture, before Jackson, as Uncle Sam, shut it down.”No, no, no. Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game,” the Uncle Sam character yelled, before leading into the song “HUMBLE.” (2017), from the album “DAMN.”
However, Lamar ends the moment of humility by again highlighting Black excellence with the song “DNA” (2017), rapping: “I got loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA.”The artist also included Sza, singing the tunes “Luther” from his 2024 album “GNX” and “All the Stars” (2018) from the “Black Panther” soundtrack.As entertaining as her performance was, Sza’s feature added an extra layer later in the show, as Lamar spent the past year using his music to call out the rapper and actor Drake, who she is rumored to have formerly dated.Through multiple diss tracks, Lamar has alleged that Canadian rapper Drake, born Aubrey Graham, has pedophilic tendencies, is a bad father and is guilty of cultural appropriation. Further, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) for not stopping the release of Lamar’s multi-Grammy-winning hit “Not Like Us.”
Leading up to the big game, the question some fans were eager to get answered was: Is Kendrick going to perform “Not Like Us” despite the suit?However, for Lamar, who also included other cultural nods in the show — such as choreography, costumes and camera angles that made his dancers look like the American flag and Keith Haring paintings — it was about more than performing the celebrated diss track. It was about speaking up for Black people everywhere, encouraging them to fight for justice.“Forty acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music. Yeah, they tried to rig the game but you can’t fake influence,” Lamar rapped before starting the lyrics for “Not Like Us.”During “Not Like Us,” Lamar directly turns to the camera smiling and directly addresses Drake, before going into a series of lyrics alleging he is attracted to young girls.If that wasn’t a burn enough against the Canadian rapper and actor, Lamar also opted to include tennis star Williams, who is another one of Drake’s alleged former love interests.
Also spotted during the “Not Like Us” performance were protesters running out on the field with flags speaking out against oppression and genocide in Sudan and Gaza.For the last song, “TV Off” (2024), Lamar brought out producer DJ Mustard, who offered his musical genius to some of the rapper’s recent celebrated works. A title that honors Scott-Heron’s famous piece, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” (1971), “TV Off” encourages waking up to the unjust realities of America for Black Americans.“Super huge honor to be asked to be part of [Lamar’s] halftime revolution,” Jackson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday afternoon.
Source: Washington Informer
