On Sunday, Feb. 9, rapper Kendrick Lamar and special guest R&B artist SZA led the Super Bowl LIX halftime show. Lamar soared to new heights during his performance, breaking down barriers not only within his beef with Drake but also in the music industry becoming the first rapper to headline the N.F.L. stage solo. His ongoing feud with Drake was expectedly at the forefront of his performance, but on a larger scale, Lamar was able to send a political message to the crowd.
Super Bowl halftime shows were first established in 1967 when marching bands took to the stage to entertain the stadium during the players’ break. The halftime show quickly evolved into a tradition football fans and non-football fans alike could enjoy, gaining the Super Bowl a more diverse audience.
Until 1993, the halftime shows were simply performed to entertain fans while the players recouped during halftime. According to the Washington Post, Michael Jackson’s 1993 halftime performance caused just as much of a stir among Super Bowl viewers as the game itself. This iconic performance gained halftime shows more popularity allowing them to become a part of this longstanding Super Bowl tradition.
After the announcement of this year’s halftime show featured artists, fans anxiously speculated as to how Lamar would approach this enormous opportunity. Soon, the long wait was over as viewers all across the country sat down for this compelling performance, lasting just over 13 minutes and amassing over 113 million views, making it the most watched halftime show to date. Standing out from previous performances, Lamar relayed underlying meanings of the political turmoil and social inequality in America, making the most of his time on stage.
Lamar’s performance kicked off depicting Samuel L. Jackson as the classic American figure of Uncle Sam. Jackson acted as the narrator and emcee throughout the show, representing societal attitudes towards Black rappers, stating Lamar was being “too loud, too reckless,” and “too ghetto.” This was one of the many social critiques embedded into the performance.
The show took place on a stage that could be interpreted to be a prison yard, calling out America’s broken prison system and racial inequality. The dancers marched through the set in a unified yet oppressed fashion, creating a symbolic gesture to the oppression Black people in America face.
To add on to the many political statements made throughout the show, the crowd lit up with the words “WARNING WRONG WAY,” which was interpreted as a wake-up call to spectators that America is moving in the wrong direction following the recent election of Donald Trump. Trump was in attendance that evening and allegedly did not stay for the whole halftime show.
Trump’s early departure could be related to Lamar’s comment at the beginning of his performance. Stating, “The revolution’s about to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy,” Lamar making a dig at Trump being the “wrong guy” for the job of president of the U.S.
Despite some of Lamar’s more explicit lyrics being bleeped out, the audience did not have to engage their imagination much to fill in the blanks, specifically when it came to his diss track “Not Like Us,” aimed at acclaimed rapper Drake which won Lamar this year five Grammy awards. Lamar teased “Not Like Us” throughout the show, building up anticipation among viewers for when he would eventually launch into the iconic song. From the very first note the crowd erupted into cheers of both shock and excitement singing along with enthusiasm.
The show ended with Lamar stating “game over,” most likely about his beef with Drake, reflecting the phrase with bright lights into the audience. Lamar didn’t need to announce it to the crowd, however. He had already made the message clear by smiling ruefully into the camera while rapping his hit track “Not Like Us” to his over 100 million viewers saying, “Say Drake, I hear you like ‘em young,” hinting at Drake’s tendency to date younger women, and in some cases, “A minors.” Super Bowl fans this year weren’t just buying a ticket to watch the game; they were buying a ticket to Drake’s public downfall.
Another clear dig at Drake incorporated into the show was the inclusion of special guest star SZA, who just so happens to be Drake’s ex. Coincidence? Perhaps, because the artists have already been longtime collaborators and are going on tour together in 2025. Less likely to be a coincidence, though, was Serena Williams’s pointed cameo on stage due to the public knowledge that Williams and Drake had previously been romantically involved. Dig after dig was made at Drake during the show, surprising fans who weren’t expecting to be invited to Drake’s reputation’s funeral.
Lamar’s performance was the ultimate victory lap surrounding his feud with fellow rapper Drake. While touching on the rappers’ feud, and removing Drake from the spotlight, the halftime show majorly addressed deeper issues facing the U.S. today, the intersection of racism within politics and modern-day society.
This year’s performance was less lighthearted than in past years (shout-out 2023 performer Rihanna) and had an arguably larger message than usual. However, the weight of the performance can be determined by how seriously and deeply viewers buy into Lamar’s possible hidden messages incorporated into the show’s choreography, reworked lyrics, and special guests. Despite its seemingly patriotic appearance, Lamar’s performance critiques American ideologies integrated into political, social, and prison systems.
This controversial show was not everyone’s cup of tea, with many saying it was either one of the worst or best performances yet. For those who only viewed it once, we’d suggest taking another look, because as you begin to dig deeper into this truly meaningful performance, you will find it is much more than what’s on the surface, earning the 59th Super Bowl Halftime Show four out of five feathers.
