Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance at the 59th Super Bowl in New Orleans was chock-full of Easter eggs. It conveyed political messages and jabs at Drake, all while simultaneously delivering a wildly entertaining and educational performance. This production caused everyone to look a little deeper and reevaluate the state of our country.
The show opened with Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, saying, “Salutations, it’s your Uncle… Sam, and this is the great American game.” The stage was then transformed into PlayStation controller buttons, lighting up the cheat code for “full armor and health.” The PlayStation was a way to engage younger audience members, Shelby Rogers, the show’s art director, stated, and highlights that this is all just a game; both the Super Bowl, one of the biggest games in American households, and the game of life in America.
Uncle Sam is commonly used to represent American culture and American propaganda, particularly white American culture. So, casting Jackson makes perfect sense when thinking about his activist past. In 1961, Jackson was among a handful of other students who locked Morehouse College board members in a building for two days to show their opposition to the school’s curriculum and governance. Among these board members was Martin Luther King Sr., Martin Luther King Jr.’s father. Jackson was then also one of the ushers at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral.
Throughout the show, Jackson reminds Lamar that he needs to play the game right and comply with expectations. The camera then pans to Lamar performing the untitled “GNX” trailer song on top of a 1987 Buick GNX, a car with deep significance in both Lamar’s life and Michigan’s automotive history. This car was based off of the 1987 Buick Regal that his father drove him home in from the hospital after his birth, on June 17, 1987, which he later named his most recent album, GNX, after.
The lights flash, and Lamar says, “The revolution is about to be televised, you picked the right time, but the wrong guy,” an obvious jab at audience member President Donald J. Trump, stating that 2025 is the right time, but we elected the wrong guy. It’s also a direct call back to the 1970s song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron. Scott-Heron speaks to how you must be active in the revolution, and how passivism will not work. The media will always ignore racism, and it’s up to individuals to respond and make change.
Lamar performed “squabble up,” and right as he finished, Jackson yelled “Too loud, too reckless, too… ghetto, Mr. Lamar do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up,” highlighting that there are certain expectations, and he has to fit into them, both within past Super Bowl performances, and in life.
During “HUMBLE.,” the dancers formed an American flag split down the middle, showcasing the current divide and separation in our country. This was made especially clear after the 2024 election. The flag was made up by the backs of the dancers, symbolizing the fact that the backbone of our country is slavery, and systemic racism is still very much entwined within our current state. Lamar sings, “Be humble, sit down, be humble, sit down,” as the flag is dismantled, and walks down the stairs. He’s reminding us all to stay humble, and begging us to reevaluate the statement that this is the best country.
Then comes Lamar performing “euphoria” in a formation that mimics a prison yard. Fans connected this to the sad reality of mass incarceration and the systemic racism that still plagues the criminal justice system, leading to racial profiling and biased policing. “euphoria” was written in response to the mentions and insults thrown at him by Canadian rapper Drake in songs “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle.” Its namesake comes from the TV drama, Euphoria, on which Drake is an executive producer, as well as a nod to a scene in Kill Bill: Volume 2, as lead actor Uma Thurman is a proud supporter of Drake in his and Lamar’s ongoing feud.
Lamar is then seen with 10 Oakland dancers performing the Bay Area’s turf dancing style on a national stage for the first time in history, while singing “man at the garden.” Oakland’s street-dancing culture started in the 1960s, and turf dancing has deep roots in Bay Area culture; it’s a way of storytelling and expressing creativity.
After singing “peekaboo,” he performed “luther” with the highly anticipated SZA feature. SZA wore a monochromatic red outfit featuring a leather jacket by Born x Raised, a lace and mesh corset, laced-up leather pants by Los Angeles designer Ashton Michael, and red high-top sneakers. They then immediately jumped into performing their hit song from the 2018 Black Panther soundtrack, “All the Stars,” which earned nominations for Best Original Song at the 76th Golden Globe Awards and the 91st Academy Awards.
Right before Jackson could finish saying “Don’t mess this [up],” the opening notes to the long-awaited crowd favorite, and five-time Grammy-winning song, “Not Like Us” began. Before he started rapping, Lamar stated, “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music,”
bringing up the promise that was made to formerly enslaved African Americans after the Civil War. This ensured 40 acres and a mule to all black families, however, after President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, President Andrew Johnson reversed this executive order, returning the land to former Confederate owners. The ramifications of this unfulfilled promise can still be seen and felt today, with effects on generational wealth and land ownership. Lamar referencing this brings up all the broken promises America has made, especially those made to marginalized groups.
Finally, Lamar gets into the full song, and almost immediately name-drops Drake. Nearly all 70,000 audience members could be heard singing “a-minor,” effortlessly calling out Drake.
We then see tennis champion Serena Williams doing the Crip Walk (C-Walk). The Crip Walk was created in Compton, CA (where both Williams and Lamar were raised) in the 1970s by early Crip members. During the dance, you would typically spell C-R-I-P with your feet, and it would be used to emulate gang territories. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Crip Walking made its way to the West Coast through key rap artists such as Snoop Dogg and WC, showcased in both music videos and during live performances. This led to its evolution into clown walking (clowning) and krumping, both still used in hip-hop today. The dance has since evolved from symbolizing gang affiliations, and is now a significant part of global pop culture, still with a deep connection to Los Angeles.
Williams originally Crip-Walked at the 2012 London Olympics after winning gold, and she immediately sparked controversy and faced backlash. Fox Sports’ Jason Whitlock said, “What Serena did was akin to cracking a tasteless, X-rated joke inside a church,” and Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke tweeted, “Serena C-walking at Wimbledon only shows how long she’s been away from home, separated from violence and death associated with that dance.” Williams responded that she just loved to dance, and in L.A., it was appropriate. Williams said doing this dance now, over 12 years later, was a nod to the Olympics and reclaiming the celebration and pride she shows through the dance. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s Drake’s long-time ex, and even danced from within the “X” PlayStation button. Lamar even mentions Williams in “Not Like Us,” saying, “Better not speak on Serena,” seemingly talking to Drake.
Finally, the last song, “tv off,” starts, where Lamar is joined by Mustard, producer of “Not Like Us,” “tv off,” and “hey now.” Lamar ends the show by chanting, “Turn this TV off.” This is being interpreted as both you can turn the TV off as the halftime performance is now over, which is the star attraction, or, turn the TV off that is showcasing the big American game. He is once again criticizing the current state of our country. All the lights shut off, except for lights in the stadium spelling out “Game Over,” stating that Lamar refuses to play Uncle Sam’s “game,” and it’s game over for Drake; Lamar has just won.
Lamar’s performance encapsulated so many crucial and relevant elements of patriotism. Everything from the choreography, the casting, the costumes, to the special features, all had double meanings. This halftime show is certainly one to be remembered.