Kendrick Lamar performed the 59th Super Bowl halftime show Sunday, Feb. 16, during the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. Lamar’s halftime performance was ripe with symbology, references to Black culture and commentary on the current state of the U.S. while also still dissing his rival Drake.
Uncle Sam
The show began with actor Samuel L. Jackson introducing himself as Uncle Sam, sporting a fitting outfit covered in red, white and blue with stars all around. Uncle Sam is an obvious reference to the personification of the U.S. and the U.S. government.
The Set and Lights
Throughout the performance, lights in the crowd periodically spell different words and phrases pertaining to video games such as a loading screen, “Start Here” and, at the end of the performance, “Game Over.” In between songs, Lamar moved from set to set through four different shapes: a circle, triangle, X and square, which are reminiscent of a PlayStation controller. These references to video games and game terminology in general are both a reference to “The Great American Game” that Jackson introduced at the beginning of the game and a reference to Lamar’s continuing feud with Drake. OVO Sound label represents Drake and is partnered with Sony, which also owns Playstation.
Wardrobe
Astute viewers will notice that Lamar and his producer Mustard were sporting matching gold necklaces. Lamar’s shows a lowercase “a,” while Mustard’s was a “m.” Both references are to Lamar’s diss on Drake: “Tryna strike a cord and it’s probably A minor.”
Serena Williams
During “Not Like Us,” Serena Williams was crip walking, referring to her past history with the dance during her tennis career. In the 2012 London Summer Olympics, after Williams won gold, she celebrated by doing the crip walk. Williams received a lot of backlash for this dance move because it seemed like she was “glorifying gang culture” due to the dance's origins from the Crips gang. However, the crip walk has since expanded to a wider culture. An interesting fact to note is that Williams was in a relationship with Drake from 2011-2015.
Dialogue
Between songs, Lamar often referred to past works revolving around Black history. Before singing “Squabble Up,” he exclaims, “The revolution is about to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy,” in reference to the 1971 Gil Scott-Heron song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.”
Before singing “Not Like Us,” Lamar exclaims, “it's a cultural divide, Imma get it on the floor. 40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music.” According to NPR, “40 acres and a mule” refers to a promise made by Union General William Sherman that formerly enslaved Black Americans would be given 40 acres and a mule to provide economic self-sufficiency. After the Civil War, this promise was never fulfilled, leaving millions of African Americans without anything.
Lamar’s halftime show proved that in the current climate of the U.S., this performance was bigger than the music.