“Bigger than the Music”: Kendrick Lamar’s Half-time Show
By: Iris Deng
On February 9th, Kendrick Lamar made history in the annual Super Bowl, delivering a revolutionary performance, not only through his music (record-breaking, Grammy-winning diss track “Not Like Us”), but also with a political statement, going beyond entertainment. Inevitably, his 13-minute performance sparked controversy: viewers expecting a glitzy, patriarchal, pyrotechnical show were instead presented with politically-charged messages honouring Lamar’s West Coast hip-hop and Compton roots, whilst alluding to American politics and pop culture.
“Choose Love“
Initial conversation ensued from the NFL’s announcement to remove “End Racism” on its end zones for the first time in four years. This slogan was introduced to honour George Floyd and support the Black Lives Matter movement, giving it a place on a large international stage. The decision to replace it with “Choose Love” is explained by the NFL to be more “appropriate” for the country, given what they have endured in the previous weeks: wildfires in California and a terrorist attack in New Orleans. However, many more believe this decision is predicated on the fact that the recently inaugurated President Trump was set to attend the Super Bowl, and would be the first sitting President to do so. This sets the scene for Lamar to deliver a powerful performance, blending activism with artistry to challenge inequality and complacency.
Uncle Sam
Viewers were also surprised by the appearance of renowned actor Samuel Jackson, who started the show as a caricature of Uncle Sam (defined by Wikipedia as “a common national personification of the United States, depicting the federal government or the country as a whole”). Jackson introduces the performance by announcing that “this is the Great American Game,” as the camera pans to the dancers arranged in a triangle, circle, square and cross, resembling PlayStation controller buttons. Throughout the show, more references are made to this “Great American Game”, though it is far from the patriarchal ideals of the American Dream. Instead, it represents how Americans are like “pawns in the game of surviving America,” having to jump through certain hoops and adhere to rules in order to “succeed.”
Further interpretations of Jackson’s Uncle Sam point to the character as the antagonist of the show. During the performance of “squabble up”, Jackson interrupts him, proclaiming Lamar to be “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto,” and asks, “Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game?” Here, Jackson plays the literal government figurehead, warning Lamar to tone down his message, and “play the game,” reiterating the urges of the government for marginalised individuals to conform to societal norms by assimilating and suppressing their identity to achieve success. This also reflects how the culture and mannerisms of African Americans have been critisied, controlled and appropriated throughout history, embodying the voice of the systematic oppression which aims to stifle these voices. Thus, this interruption in “squabble up” serves as a microcosm of the struggles faced by African Americans in resisting conformity and reclaiming their identity.
The Revolution
Another reference Lamar makes is of the “revolution”. Just as Lamar begins his performance of “squabble up”, he utters “revolution is about to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy.” This is taken from Gil Scott-Heron’s satirical poem and Black liberation song from 1971, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. The song was written as encouragement to African Americans facing discrimination and segregation to take action, as it expresses how change cannot and will not be made passively – big corporations, government entities and mainstream media will not broadcast oppression and injustice (thus the revolution will not be televised). Lamar breaks through this struggle by broadcasting his message on the international, televised Super Bowl stage, suggesting that the revolution is happening, and finally receiving the recognition and exposure it deserves. In the following line, however, Lamar returns to the original struggle (that mainstream media will not give sufficient exposure to this movement), “you picked the right time but the wrong guy,” that Americans voted in the 2024 election, choosing a “right” time for change, but the “wrong” candidate, Donald Trump.
Not Like Us
Lamar kept the crowd on their toes, saving the best for last – the performance of “Not Like Us”. He played snippets of the Grammy-winning diss track to Drake, teasing the audience brimming with anticipation. Amongst the snippets, Lamar makes one of his (arguably) most memorable references: “forty acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music.” Following the American Civil War, General Sherman promised “forty acres and a mule” to taken from Confederate land owners and given to freed slaves as reparations. However, this promise was never fulfilled, as the next President, President Andrew Johnson, reversed the order. This failed promise accentuates the disappointment Black Americans have faced and continue to face throughout history.
During the performance, Lamar invited tennis legend Serena Williams to join him on stage. This move was not only a subtle jab at Drake, Serena’s ex-boyfriend, but also a bold celebration of defiant Black identity. Serena captivated the audience with her confident and smooth Crip-walking—an iconic dance move tied to West Coast hip-hop culture—for which she had previously faced criticism after performing it at Wimbledon. Now performing in front of a massive international audience of 127.7 million, her presence underscored and amplified Lamar’s themes of pride and unapologetic cultural expression.
Lamar’s performance was nothing short of revolutionary. By blending activism with artistry, he used the Super Bowl stage—a traditionally apolitical and entertainment-focused event—as a platform to confront the entrenched, perpetual injustice faced by Black Americans. This type of activism is, by far, one of the most effective: it resonates with our generation in a way that news articles, history textbooks and traditional education can never reach. As one of the most influential and trending artists of our generation, Lamar’s “cool” factor and cultural relevance make his message of neglected justice resonate even more.
However, as Lamar blurs the lines between activism and entertainment, it also raises an interesting question: does politics belong in sports?