BY: VINCENT MENDOZA / CO-NEWS EDITOR
“40 acres and a mule this is bigger than the music”, and indeed, it was. Kendrick Lamar’s halftime “performance” was more than just a performance. As the first solo hip-hop artist to headline the event, Lamar used the global stage to deliver a message that would leave an impression on the hearts and minds of millions.
From his wardrobe choices to his song selection and stage design, every detail carried meaning, inviting viewers to engage with deeper themes of race, identity, and power in America.
“Salutations! It’s your Uncle, Sam, and this is the Great American Game”, legendary actor Samuel L Jackson shouted. Jackson, who was dressed as Uncle Sam, represented a prominent American figure in the government. Throughout the show, Uncle Sam would critique Lamar’s choice of style and tone, symbolizing societal expectations and constraints for black people in America, setting the stage for the defiant message.
Following Jackson’s opener, the cameras cut to Lamar squatting on the hood of a 1987 GNX Buick, the same car featured as the name and cover for Lamar’s album that was released in November 2024.
As Lamar’s soft-spoken monologue quickly transformed into a louder eight-count, dozens of backup dancers dressed in America’s red, white, and blue color pattern hopped out of the drivers’ seat door of the GNX Buick.
“The revolution ‘bout to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy”, Lamar stated. This can be viewed as a direct shot at President Donald Trump who was in attendance on Sunday night.
Following this, Lamar and the dancers began to “squabble up.” This line is also a reference to Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 American classic, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” which discusses active participation in revolutions and protests.
At this part of the show, viewers were able to get a closer look at Lamar’s lowercase “a” pendant. While many believed this was an allusion to Lamar’s famous “A minor” line attacking Drake and his pedophilic actions, others pointed out that the pendant represented the logo of Lamar’s record label “pgLang”. It can more than likely be concluded that this was meant to be a double entendre.
Lamar’s opening act did not please Uncle Sam in the slightest, as he proceeded to call it “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto”, questioning if Lamar really knew how to play the game. This “game” Jackson alluded to time and time again was a representation of how African Americans are forced to navigate through a rigged system.
Throughout history, black people have been demonized for being too aggressive or outspoken when expressing their thoughts and feelings through protest, media, and art.
The game representation was also displayed through the stage setup, with Lamar planting an X, circle, square, and triangle on different parts of the field to represent a Playstation controller.
“Humble” was next up. The dancers, dressed in red, white, and blue gathered in a formation depicting the American flag with the 22-time Grammy award-winning rapper standing in the middle. This portion of the performance offered a wealth of symbolic meaning. Firstly, the flag was split in half, portraying the current division among Americans.
Secondly, the performance featured an all-black cast, meaning the flag was comprised solely of black people, which can be further interpreted as this country being built off the backs of enslaved black people.
Subsequently, the dancers descended the staircase and began to scatter. The Compton artist would then perform “DNA” and “Euphoria”, two hard-hitting pieces from Lamar’s discography. In between the transition from one song to the other, there was a wide shot panning to the crowd as bright lights lit up the phrase “Warning, wrong way”, foreshadowing what would come later.
Following those two anthems, Lamar, joined by 10 men dressed in white tops, baggy denim jeans, and gold jewelry gathered under a street light to perform an acapella version of “Man at the Garden”. It’s important to highlight that the outfits the men are wearing were created and popularized by black people and have become a staple in fashion.
Once again, however, Uncle Sam was disturbed by Kendrick’s performance, and he had gone the wrong way one song too long.
“Oh, so you brought your homeboys with you, the ol’ culture cheat code.” Jackson said. “Scorekeeper, deduct one life”. Black people as individuals already have large targets on their backs, however, when moving in concert, the target grows exponentially. When the government believes that said group of black people grows to be a “threat”, the government must intervene and “eliminate the threat” by deducting a life.
Samuel L. Jackson was the perfect actor for the Uncle Sam role for the entirety of the performance, but especially for this scene in particular. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the most prominent black man in United States history, was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Five days later, Jackson wasn’t just in attendance at his funeral, he was an usher.
Jackson literally lived through the scorekeeper deducting the lives of the most influential African Americans such as MLK, Malcolm X, and many others. Jackson continued to be an active participant in the civil rights movement, became a member of the Black Panthers, and campaigned for Obama before and during his two-term presidencies. No one is better suited to portray Uncle Sam than Samuel L. Jackson
“Peekaboo”, which was foreshadowed on the brim of one of the dancer’s hats, was next. The opening line, “What they talkin’ bout’, they ain’t talkin’ bout’ nun’”, can be viewed as a direct response to Jackson’s remarks.
After this, Lamar began talking to four women. “Hey ladies…. I wanna perform they favorite song, but you know they love to sue.” Kendrick stated moments before the instrumental played. Again, Kendrick’s use of allusion is present in this statement. Last month, Drake and his team filed two lawsuits against Universal Music Group for defamation, claiming they conspired to promote Kendrick’s record-breaking diss song “Not Like Us.”
Instead of this approach, Lamar decided to slow it down and obey Uncle Sam’s wishes. As “Luther” commenced, women dressed in all red and blue outfits formed a capital “S” highlighting SZA’s grand arrival. For the next two minutes and thirty seconds, the dynamic duo delivered “Luther” with the addition of “All the Stars”.
At this point, Uncle Sam was elated. “Yes! That’s what I’m talkin’ about! That’s what America wants! Nice, calm. You’re almost there, don’t mess this –”, Jackson stated before the “Not Like Us” instrumental started to play.
“It’s a cultural divide, imma get it on the floor”, Kendrick declared. “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 declaration by Lamar insinuated that the American government has been flawed and rigged against African Americans from the very beginning.
Following the abolishment of slavery, slaves were promised 40 acres and a mule as reparations. Unfortunately, this promise was never fulfilled. Many slave owners were able to retain their land and black people were never given what they were owed, initiating the cycle of black poverty in the United States.
As a child, Lamar was stuck in that same cycle. As a child growing up in Compton, the now 37-year-old was surrounded by drugs, gang violence, and police corruption, a setting not so foreign to hundreds of thousands of black youth. However, with gifted poetic talent, determination, and the ability to influence millions around the world, Lamar was able to escape the rigged system. Although Kendrick is still stuck in the “Great American Game”, he has the power and influence to deliver a message and stamp himself as a leader of the revolution.
Despite what Uncle Sam may have believed, Kendrick fulfilled the wishes of millions of Americans and performed the viral diss track. Moments later, the Compton native grinned menacingly at the camera while stating the words “Say Drake, I hear you like em’ young”, and everybody who hadn’t been living under a rock for the past 10 months knew exactly what was coming next.
“Tryna strike a chord and it’s prolly A minor” echoed throughout Caesars Superdome and homes worldwide. Just seconds later, legendary tennis player Serena Williams was seen crip walking. In just four total seconds of screening, this moment was by far one of the most surprising and symbolic statements of the night.
Not only was Williams raised in Compton, California, but it is also very well known that she dated on and off with the Canadian pop star from 2011 to 2015. Williams was also making a nod to her heavily criticized 2012 Olympics celebration where she marked the win by c-walking on the court. Roughly 13 years later, the same action received paradoxical feedback, as Williams has been widely praised.
The Super Bowl Halftime Show wrapped up with Lamar performing his biggest hit off of GNX, “tv off”, who was joined by Mustard, the producer of this track, and “Not Like Us”. When re-watching this part of the halftime show, viewers can see an individual in the background waving the Palestinian Flag.
In the following moments, there is another shot of the individual still in the background, instead this time, he was tackled and taken away by a group of security guards. It has since been announced that the protester has been banned for life from NFL events.
Since the Americans initially began shedding light on the genocide in Palestine in September 2023, there has been much controversy surrounding the topic, and rightfully so. However, due to Israel possessing an alliance with the United States, there has been mass media censorship regarding the support of Palestinians, and this is a prime example of it.
As Lamar’s revolution concluded, he recited:
“Turn this tv off, turn this tv off ”
In its entirety three times before the lights and audio cut out. “Game Over” was the final shot, a call to disengage from distractions and focus on more meaningful pursuits.
Presently, the general consensus surrounding the Drake verse Kendrick saga is that Kendrick has been crowned the winner, but the beef is relatively insignificant in comparison to the bigger picture.
Kendrick Lamar used his platform not only to entertain but to educate. Despite constant criticisms of people saying they don’t enjoy being preached to, Mr.Morale did just that.
On the biggest stage in American television and a relatively large stage globally, Lamar presented viewers with American history and how flawed the system has been for black people.
Overall, this Super Bowl has received national attention, whether that be through criticism and dissatisfaction or enjoyment and praise. As of February 10, 2025, the official video on the NFL’s verified YouTube page has 36 million views and counting and has been number one trending since being uploaded.
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label, the partner to Roger Goodell and the NFL, recently announced that this year was the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show of all time with 133.4 million views, just edging out Michael Jackson’s 1993 performance. Kendrick Lamar has cemented himself as one of the most influential musicians not only in rap but across all genres.