In a unique combination of sports and pop culture, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance touched on themes of Black culture and American identity.
Last Sunday, Feb. 9, the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Kansas City Chiefs’ hopes for a historic Super Bowl three-peat, dominating on defense and shutting down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Beyond football, the Super Bowl is a major cultural event, drawing 126 million viewers to watch both the competition and the highly anticipated halftime show.
Fresh off the back of five Grammy wins and in the midst of a feud with Drake, Kendrick Lamar headlined this year’s halftime performance. The set was introduced by actor Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, a frequent personification of the United States, hinting the performance was addressed directly to the nation. Lamar opened his set with his hit song “squabble up” and included Drake’s diss track, “Not Like Us” after teasing the song throughout his set.
Lamar and Drake’s ongoing feud began in 2023 when fellow rapper J. Cole suggested in a verse on one of Drake’s songs that Lamar, Drake, and himself were “the big three” of hip-hop. Since then, Lamar and Drake have been engaged in a back-and-forth battle for superiority, culminating in a defamation lawsuit. Drake filed the suit against their shared record label for ing the release of “Not Like Us,” which lodges pedophile allegations against the Toronto-born rapper.
Lamar referred to the ongoing suit during his performance, stating “I want to play their favourite song, but you know they love to sue.” While he noticeably didn’t adhere to the original lyrics which included the word “pedophile” when describing Drake, he did encourage the audience to echo the famous “A-minor” lyric, which alluded to more than just the musical chord.
Adding insult to injury, the rapper included tennis icon Serena Williams in the performance. Williams, who was previously romantically involved with Drake, appeared to make a statement by ing Lamar, seemingly favouring their shared Compton roots over her history with Drake.
A point of contention between Drake and Lamar is Drake’s claims of coming from a similar background. By including Williams, Lamar highlighted the stark contrast between their upbringings—his own childhood in Compton versus Drake’s experience growing up in Toronto’s affluent Forest Hill neighbourhood and his early success as a child actor.
Guest star SZA, who also shares a romantic history with Drake, ed Lamar on stage in a gorgeous red leather outfit. Together, they performed their song “luther” and Oscar-nominated hit “All the Stars.”
Beyond petty arguments, the performance symbolized an important cultural moment. With Trump in attendance, Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, told Lamar his performance was “too ghetto.” The cameras then cut to Lamar’s all-Black backup dancers arranged as the American flag, reinforcing the impact of Black culture in shaping the American identity.
The stage was arranged like a video game to symbolize the control the US government tries to exert over its citizens. However, the talented Black performances outshone the video game aspect, further proving Black artists have a thriving culture despite being told they’re “too loud and too reckless.”
Williams highlighted how displays of Black culture haven’t been accepted in traditionally white spaces, by dancing the crip walk, and later posting on X saying, “Man I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon, oh, I would have been fined.”
The Super Bowl halftime show has a history dating back to the early days of the NFL when college football was more popular than professional. At the time, the shows featured local college marching bands.
The idea of halftime shows slowly gained commercial value, transitioning from marching bands and local performers to popular artists, becoming the cultural phenomenon that it is today. Memorable performances include Beyoncé (2013), Prince (2007), Michael Jackson (1993), U2 (2002), Rihanna (2023), and Lady Gaga (2017).
By deg the stage as a game, Lamar points out the commercial aspect of the Super Bowl. As the event has become more ingrained in American culture, it has also become inextricably tied to the political landscape. When Lamar said “The revolution is about to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy,” fans speculated whether he was referring to himself or the new president.
With Trump in attendance, the symbolism was impossible to ignore, especially at a time when the current president pushes anti-diversity policies and fuels cultural division.
Lamar’s performance was a statement, not just entertainment. At a time when American politics are defined by deep cultural divides, his set underscored the significance of Black artistry and its inarguable role in shaping the nation’s identity.
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