The half-time performance at Super Bowl LIX has been a major topic of discussion since Kendrick Lamar claimed the 13-minute musical slot back in September. The rap star remains trending after putting on a halftime performance filled with so much symbolism about the state of our nation. Lamar’s performance quickly became a direct message to the people.
To kick things off, Lamar made history as the first hip-hop artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show solo. He was joined by long-time activist and actor Samuel L. Jackson, who portrayed Uncle Sam. Jackson, who played the notable role of Stephen in the movie Django Unchained, was the perfect pick for this role. In Lamar’s televised message, Jackson introduced himself to the packed stadium as “Your uncle, Sam,” while wearing an oversized top hat and a long tux jacket that was red, white and blue with stars. Jackson then continues greeting fans by welcoming them to “the great American game.”
Lamar begins his set with an unreleased song. As Lamar’s background dancers take the stage you notice they are also dressed in the colors of our nation’s flag — red, white and blue. The camera angles gave an overview of the major stage setup, which just helped put another piece to Lamar’s performance puzzle. The stage set included one resembling a game controller and within the controller formed a prison yard. This sparked tons of conversation on social media as Lamar also had a light display in the crowd which flashed typical video game sayings like “warning: wrong way” and “start here.”
Following the debut of his unreleased opening song, the hip-hop activist had a quick disclaimer for viewers, saying: “The revolution about to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy.” From there, the dance anthem “Squabble Up” had the stadium rocking. Before things could get too exciting, Uncle Sam made his second cameo, letting the artist know what Lamar is doing is too “loud,” “reckless” and “ghetto.”
Lamar responds to these demeaning comments by performing his 2017 hit “HUMBLE.” He does this as his dancers align themselves creating a visual American flag which Lamar split down the middle, representing the great divide of the culture. From there, they scattered the prison yard, marching into Lamar’s songs “DNA” and “Euphoria.”
Next, we get a close-up angle of Lamar rapping under a streetlight surrounded by his dancers in their white tees and gold grillz as they hum the tune of “man at the garden.” Here, we get our third Uncle Sam cameo, and this time he addresses Lamar bringing his “homeboys” with him, implying that Lamar used what he called “the culture cheat code.” Uncle Sam notifies the scorekeeper to “deduct one life.”
Lamar comes back on screen to perform his song “peekaboo,” where he breaks into a discussion with a group of female background dancers, teasing the most talked about diss song of the past year, “Not Like Us.” Lamar mentions how he wants to perform the people’s favorite song, but he interrupts by saying, “You know they like to sue,” playing on the rap beef and current legal litigation between Lamar and Canadian rapper Drake, which led to the creation of “Not Like Us.”
The beat drop was only a crowd-teaser as Lamar insisted that he should slow it down. Jackson can be heard telling Lamar, “You done lost your damn mind,” before Lamar goes into his hit, “luther,” featuring R&B artist SZA, who then joined him on stage. The duo also performed their song from the Black Panther soundtrack, “All the Stars.” After this melodic breakdown, Jackson reappears on screen as Uncle Sam giving his stamp of approval. “That’s what I’m talking about — that’s what America wants: nice, calm.” He goes on to tell Lamar and his team, “You’re almost there, don’t mess this up.”
Kendrick responds to this final message by interrupting with the instrumental introduction of “Not Like Us.” In this intro, Kendrick mentions there being a cultural divide in the U.S. He made sure to capture the ears of his viewers by saying, “40 acres and a mule — this is bigger than the music.” (This refers to a post-Civil War promise made to freed Black Americans, particularly formerly enslaved individuals, as a form of reparations). The statement alone set the tone of Lamar’s performance; he was there for something much bigger than halftime entertainment.
He began to rap “Not Like Us,” as he shuffled across the prison yard stage set filled with dancers in red, white and blue. It caught the attention of viewers when Lamar’s dancers laid out on the stage to mimic what seemed like a body chalk outline. Many fans were riled up to see Lamar look directly into the camera as he grinned from ear to ear and said, “Say Drake…” as a direct shot during the major televised event.
The crowd kept the “Not Like Us” energy going as you could hear them shouting “a minor” from every corner of the stadium. The Compton hit surely sealed the deal to Lamar’s overall message, but the Easter eggs in this performance were endless. Professional tennis player, A.K.A. the G.O.A.T., Serena Williams graced the stage during the halftime performance as well, Crip walking to the viral dance beat. This was also a message from Williams, who received a lot of backlash and criticism after showcasing her moves in celebration of her 2012 Olympic gold medal.
Another participant in the halftime field cast who has now been identified as Zul-Qarnain Nantambu is now banned from the Super Bowl for life after raising a Sudanese-Palestinian flag in protest during the performance. The man was chased all over the field by security as Lamar wrapped the show. He was soon captured and has told multiple media outlets that he has no regrets over his halftime protest.
Finally, the iconic duo of Lamar and DJ Mustard hit the stage to close the show with their viral hit, “tv off.” This was the final song of Lamar’s set and ended with a light display spelling out the notable video game pop-up, Game Over.
Roc Nation officially announced Super Bowl LIX was the most-viewed halftime show to date, with 133.5 million views — 3% more than last year. Some fans were extremely impressed with the hip-hop artist and how well-executed and clear his performance and messaging was. President Donald Trump was in attendance Sunday night but left early.
Lamar’s halftime performance carried deep symbolism that extended beyond today’s political climate, highlighting struggles that have persisted in America for decades. His portrayal of Uncle Sam by one of Hollywood’s most influential activists; the reference to “40 acres and a mule,” symbolizing America’s ongoing broken promises; and the ominous foreshadowing of oppression, criticism and the relentless attempts to discredit and exploit for personal gain all reinforced his message. Lamar’s statement was unmistakable: Game over.
This article appears in Feb 5-18, 2025.