February 9th, 2025 families all over America gathered to watch Super Bowl LIX, an American tradition celebrating football with food and company. Each year, a mainstream artist is chosen to take center stage for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, not only delivering a powerful performance but also marking a milestone in their career and launching a new era. The halftime show is a carefully crafted experience, full of music, choreography, stunning visuals, and lighting, all designed to create an unforgettable 15-minute moment for both the performers and the millions of viewers tuning in at home. This year’s artist was rapper Kendrick Lamar. Lamar had already had a huge year including his rap rivalry with rapper Drake which produced the hit song “Not Like Us” and a surprise album drop in November. The Super Bowl was the cherry on top of a successful year for Lamar. Lamar’s performance was not just about the music. His set was infused with symbolism, exploring themes of American politics and Black culture, from past and present. The performance was an insightful analysis that many viewers simply didn’t understand or connect with. 

UNCLE SAM (SAMUEL L. JACKSON) At the start of the show, actor and civil rights activist Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of Uncle Sam, a prominent figure in American culture. Uncle Sam is a very popular symbol that represents patriotism, but in this performance, he serves a deeper, more critical purpose. At the very beginning of the show, Uncle Sam declares, “This is the great American game” In this case, the game is a metaphor for an average black American life showcasing all of the roadblocks and troubles that are only set in a black American life. Lamar is portrayed as someone who refuses to play by the rules. This idea is explored more when Uncle Sam comes in and “deducts one life” after Lamar “breaks the rules” and performs songs that are based on black culture. Uncle Sam is a part of this show to represent how American people judge, belittle and dehumanize black people and black culture and how the American people react to it. Even after the first song ‘Squabble Up’ a song that is a West Coast party anthem and is a message to stay sharp and vigilant in modern America, Uncle Sam scolds Lamar and says, “No no no no no too loud, too reckless, too… ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up.” Uncle Sam criticizes this song which is heavily based in black culture by calling it “ghetto” and telling him to tighten up. After that quote, Kendrick continues to play his hits that are based on black culture. Still, in such a subtle way that they ended up being the more mainstream hits like “Humble” and “DNA.” But even this gets too adventurous and after Lamar brings out his friends to “keep the bums away” or as Uncle Sam says, “homeboys” to sing “Man at the Garden” a song about overcoming the difficulties as a black American and deserving it all because of their hardships. This causes Uncle Sam to deduct one of Lamar’s lives keeping up the theme of this being a game. The songs that are more based on black culture make Uncle Sam mad, but mainstream songs such as  “Luther’ and “All the Stars” featuring singer SZA are seen as more mainstream and tolerable. Uncle Sam after these songs states, “That’s what America wants. nice and calm,” meaning America wants more calm and almost meaningless songs instead of “ghetto music.” Most of the criticism regarding the halftime show is about SZA’s performance, which proves Uncle Sam’s point.

THE BACKUP DANCERS (and costume info) – all of the backup dancers in Lamar’s performance were decked out in red, white, and blue. The crew formed an American flag split down the middle by Kendrick to show the cultural divide in America between black and white communities. The flag formation, with an all-Black cast, can also be seen as a nod to how America’s foundation is deeply intertwined with Black people and culture. It’s a subtle yet fruitful acknowledgment that Black Americans shaped and built this country, for example an African American woman Grace Wisher helped create the original American flag. America is built on black culture. 

KENDRICKS MESSAGE (and other symbolism) – Lamar’s halftime show has been criticized constantly for not being a regular all-American halftime show. Most complaints are that people wanted more sza, couldn’t understand what he was saying, or that it was “too confusing.” so here’s the tea, Lamar’s performance was a commentary on the average everyday experience of a black American. Think about it. Uncle Sam calling you ghetto, the split in America between people of color and white people, the constant commentary on black culture, and being forced into a box just to play “the great American game.” a pathway to reach the nonexistent fantasy of the American dream. Kendrick decides not to play the game, he’s not going to do what you want because that’s following the rules of Uncle Sam who is notorious for silencing black voices throughout all of history. The message is undeniable: “40 acres and a mule—this is bigger than the music.” What does this mean? It’s a reference to the unfulfilled promise made to African Americans who fought in the Civil War. After slavery, the U.S. government vowed to give them 40 acres and a mule to help them rebuild their lives and achieve economic independence. That promise was never kept, leaving Black Americans to start from scratch, which continues to impact generational wealth today. In Lamar’s performance, this reference is a reminder of the unfulfilled promises and systemic injustice that Black Americans have faced—both historically and in the present. This reference is a reminder of all of the unfulfilled promises that Uncle Sam (aka the USA) promised African Americans in the past, present, and future. It’s a callback to the constant struggle of injustice in America. The roadblocks that Uncle Sam gives us in “The Great American Game” Another line that sparked debate was, “the revolution ‘bout to be televised you picked the right time but the wrong guy” This could be a direct shot at the current President Donald Trump, a callout against injustice that he has caused. The line also ties back to Gil Scott-Heron’s famous track, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” which speaks to how true change starts with shifting the mindset before it can manifest in tangible action. Lamar is calling for a mental revolution, one that challenges the status quo before anything in the physical world changes.

This wasn’t just a performance; it was an act of artistic resistance, challenging the viewers of the halftime show—an audience that typically might not engage with messages like this—to confront deeper, often uncomfortable truths. For America to see and understand the deeper context behind every move, every lyric, and every symbol. Lamar wasn’t just making music—he was making a statement about America’s history and the fight for Black equality.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• • Kendrick wore a chain with a lowercase “a” on it which represents kendirkcs record label and the chord A minor which is a line in kendirkcs song “Not Like Us” used a diss towards the rapper Drake
  • Samuel L. Jackson’s representation of Uncle Sam could also be a double entendre to an “Uncle Tom.” An Uncle Tom is a black man who is excessively obedient to white people, going so far as betraying their culture for white culture. It is a derogatory term that ties into Samuel L. Jackson’s role perfectly, by portraying Uncle Sam he is also portraying Uncle Tom by being a black man betraying black culture. 
  • When 4 girls in white come on to talk to Lamar, he says “I wanna perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue” This is a direct call out to Drake. After the success of ‘Not like us’ Drake tried to sue Kendrick and his label for overpromotion of the song and “false allegations”
  • Many times in the performance, there were words written in lights in the audience. The words were, “WARNING WRONG WAY” and “GAME OVER” What do these mean? The “WARNING WRONG WAY” was showcased after Kendrick’s song DNA transitions into ‘euphoria’ the usage of the phrase  “WARNING WRONG WAY” is used as a commentary of America heading in the wrong direction specifically towards the injustice and inequality of black people in America. “GAME OVER” represents the final ending of Drake and Kendrick’s year-long feud. These words also feed into the theme of  “the great American game.”
  • During the song ‘not like us’ there is a quick cameo of the 13-time grand slam winner Serena Willaims’s crip walking. What does this mean? Williams and Drake briefly dated in 2011, after they split up in 2015 Williams got engaged. Because of this, Drake dissed her husband on his song ‘Middle of the Ocean’ and ‘Worst Behavior’ by calling him a groupie. This is also a call back to when Williams crip walked at Wimbollten and was heavily criticized to this day about it.
• “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” – George Orwell, ‘Animal Farm’