On a surface level, Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime show was mid at best. It wasn’t as flashy as previous halftime shows; the whole thing was too slow and it was too Black. It was- to the masses- just mid, but what if I told you that was all on purpose?
On a deeper level, Lamar’s halftime show was one of the boldest and most recent examples of protest from a major artist in a long time on one of the greatest stages of all: the Super Bowl.
Lamar became the first non-classical or jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018. He is often considered alongside artists like Drake, J. Cole and Kanye as one of the best rappers of the 2010’s.
Speaking of Drake, Lamar has recently gained popularity amongst not only rap fans but also the general public due to his beef with the fellow rapper. Throughout this feud, the two have traded many diss tracks back and forth, the most popular being Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”
This beef is important because of its relevance to the show and what the feud was fundamentally about. Many people were excited to see what would be said at the halftime show because of the elevated spotlight the conflict generated. The beef, in many ways, was deeper than just rap. The feud was more about the principles of protest vs passiveness in music in general.
The show began with Samuel L. Jackson introducing himself as Uncle Sam. Jackson has always been known to speak out against injustice since the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Anyone could have been chosen for the role but choosing someone like Jackson enhanced the theme of unapologetic Blackness.
Samuel L. Jackson reprised one of his most popular roles in “Django Unchained,” where he plays Stephen, an “Uncle Tom” type character. The Uncle Sam portrayal paints Jackson as an “Uncle Tom” rather than an older White man as he is usually portrayed. Jackson’s portrayal as Uncle Sam drew attention to some of America’s historically oppressive politics and attitudes in front of the president, as Trump made history as the first sitting U.S. president to attend the Super Bowl.
After Jackson’s introduction, Lamar began the show saying, “The revolution is about to be televised tonight; y’all picked the right time but the wrong guy.” He makes it clear that he is not the passive performer that Uncle Sam would prefer.
Lamar has always been an artist who embraces controversy, highlighting the hypocrisy of the American dream. He lets everyone watching, from the president to the average citizen sitting at home, know that his performance was not meant to agitate, not to entertain.
I enjoyed the track selection, although I thought Lamar should’ve chosen some lesser-known (and, in my opinion, better) songs like “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst,” “PRIDE.,” or even “Prayer.”
I heard differing opinions on how people felt about the show. Some said that they didn’t know enough of the songs and that the lyrics were hard to follow. Others said that the show was too minimal and not as flashy as they were used to for the Super Bowl. Some flat out said that it was “too Black” and that they felt it wasn’t for them.
The performance was nowhere near a bad performance, but it was a classic Kendrick Lamar performance, not the Super Bowl performance people are used to.
A lot of the issues lie with Lamar’s performance style. Lamar often takes a director-like role when it comes to shows, letting choreography, elaborate symbology and intricate visuals take the attention. When people are used to performers like Michael Jackson, Rihanna and Usher who dance, have light shows, explosions and all the things you would typically expect from a pop star, it makes sense that Lamar’s performance doesn’t necessarily sit well with everyone.
Another disconnect is the lyrical content. Being a lyrical rapper from Compton, Lamar’s content almost always gets explicit, might not be as easy to sing to and often requires you to think critically.
Even though I thought the performance was spectacular, many thought the performance was “just ok.” In a way, that was kind of the point. The performance wasn’t for those who would turn the radio off when his lyrics made them uncomfortable or those who don’t want to acknowledge the evils of America.
Moving on to a deeper breakdown of the show’s meaning, it provides a masterpiece on protest performance.
I saw this as a direct form of protest toward the U.S. government and the president himself. Lamar has often been critical of presidents, such as Ronald Reagan in his song “Ronald Reagan Era (His Evils)” for his racist policies and disenfranchisement of Black Americans.
Lamar’s characterization of Uncle Sam indirectly protests this. Jackson proceeds to say “This is the great American game” calling attention to the game-like nature of politics. Adding to the theme of the game, when looking at the stage that Lamar performs in from above, it resembles the buttons of a PlayStation controller.
After performing “squabble up” Uncle Sam calls Kendrick “too loud, too reckless and too ghetto!” He questions if Lamar knows how to play the game. After this, Lamar performs “DNA,” parts of “Euphoria,” an acapella version of “Man at the Garden” and “Humble.” The songs chosen during this period are very intentional as they have a more intense, demanding energy.
These songs also appeal to a younger audience as young people are the ones who will have to address these issues in the future. These songs are almost like a call to action to his young, frustrated audience ready to protest.
During the acapella performance, a dancer on top of the streetlamp resembled the hanged man tarot card. This card can be interpreted in multiple ways, but one of its meanings is sacrifice. It could also be taken to represent the violent history of Jim Crow in the South and the practice of lynching.
Uncle Sam then deducts a life, saying, “I see you brought your homeboys with you, the old culture cheat code.” I interpret this to mean that Lamar has always inspired people through shared culture, which was made even clearer by his beef with Drake.
Lamar’s background dancers also wear red, white and blue tracksuits. These dancers later make up a split American flag, showing the division in our country. The dance crew was composed of all Black dancers boldly showcasing their Blackness by wearing grills, durags and hoodies. The imagery of an all-Black dance crew coming together to form the U.S. flag symbolizes how America was built on the genocide of Native communities and the backs of enslaved Black people.
Lamar’s performance also draws a parallel to how Black culture is diminished. From Black hairstyles to Black music, Black culture is often seen as somehow lesser. This can be seen further in politics regarding diversity, equity and inclusion, often saying that Black people are “diversity hires,” and “less skilled” and are accused of using the “race card.” Uncle Sam says that Lamar’s use of culture is cheating and deducts another life for this.
Lamar then performs “Luther” and “All the Stars” with SZA. With these songs being calmer, Uncle Sam says, “That’s what America wants,” and warns Lamar not to mess it up.
This goes back to the beef with Drake, part of which was about the difference between inspiring and pacifying music. Lamar felt that Drake was essentially an Uncle Tom, making music to pacify his people, saying in “Not Like Us” “No, you not a colleague, you a colonizer.” Drake is popular for his pop songs and widespread fame but rarely dives below the surface into uncomfortable topics. This statement from Uncle Sam mirrors that sentiment of wanting people pacified, not protesting.
Lamar directly protests Uncle Sam’s statement by performing “Not Like Us.” Following this, Lamar ends his performance with “tv off,” shutting down all of the lights and signifying the end of the game.
Later on, a man who was holding up Sudanese and Palestinian flags was arrested, though this was not televised.
On surface level, Lamar’s halftime performance will go down as mid to the masses. The show was a protest piece not meant for everyone, especially those “not like us.” The performance was meant to be seen and understood by those willing to notice all the uncomfortable elements and direct challenges that were shown through symbology. It was unapologetically Black and directly called out the ugly, racist and contradicting nature of the America we live in.
The music may be controversial, but in the current climate we face, the protest speaks louder than words.
