Kendrick Lamar was the headline of Super Bowl LIX’s halftime show and it was, debatably, one of the most talked-about and controversial performances in Superbowl history. According to Apple Music, his show was the most-watched halftime show in Apple Music history, accumulating more than 133.5 million viewers. Lamar is a man of craft: Everything he does and says is intentional and holds meaning. Unfortunately, there was a mass failure to observe Lamar’s message behind his performance, and with that, many found it underwhelming.
Lamar’s performance was a statement about racial inequality: “The revolution is ‘bout to be televised; you picked the right time but the wrong guy,” was the opening line of his record-breaking performance. This is a direct reference to Gil Scott-Heron’s song “The Revolution Will Not be Televised,” referencing the notion that violence/racism will not be showcased by the media, “which means change would have to come from action instead of passiveness,” according to crimson.fit.edu.
Samuel L Jackson was a staple of the performance, playing the role of Uncle Sam and proclaiming that Kendrick’s music was “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto!” He asked, “Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game?”
“The game” is a notable theme throughout the performance: There were persistent PlayStation references, including their infamous triangle, square, circle and X being portrayed by Lamar’s dancers. A major aspect of the performance was Lamar’s allusion that everyone is living in a video game and he is the player.
During the performance of “Humble,” the background dancers dressed in red, white and blue formed a flag and later divided, which has been widely interpreted as symbolizing the political divisions stemming from race in America.
Before performing “luther,” Lamar raps, “It’s a cultural divide, I’mma get it on the floor. 40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music. Yeah, they tried to rig the game but you can’t fake influence.” This is a reference to the promise made by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman on Jan. 16, 1865, assuring freed slave families 40 acres in reparations: This was never followed through.
The most noteworthy aspect of Lamar’s performance was the inclusion of “Not Like Us.” Prefacing the song, Lamar proclaims, “I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue,” referring to Drake’s legal team who previously filed a lawsuit against Lamar on Jan. 15; however, this did not stop Lamar as he proceeded to perform the song with a smile on his face. He later brought on stage famous tennis player and Drake’s ex-girlfriend, Serena Williams who Crip Walked to the song.
Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime performance was one of the most meaningful in history: He brought new meaning to Super Bowl halftime and displayed genius depictions of the divide present in America. With Lamar being at the peak of his career, a performance like the one on Feb. 9 will surely keep him at the top.
