Kendrick Lamar's Halftime Show: An Intellectual Lookback at Contemporary American Society, as Reflected by his Performance
Kendrick Lamar's Controversial Super Bowl Halftime Show
Kendrick Lamar's halftime performance at Super Bowl LIX was a powerful spectacle, filled with symbolism and political messages. However, the show did not go as originally planned, with Lamar as the performer.
The performance began with lights forming a video game controller and numbers rising from zero to one hundred, setting a futuristic tone. Samuel L. Jackson then introduced himself as "Uncle Sam" and introduced the concept of "the great American game." Uncle Sam, symbolizing the U.S. government and its contradictory role in African American history, critiqued systemic oppression and the politics surrounding race in America.
Kendrick Lamar's performance was interrupted, the lights strobed, and the dancers were stunned, signifying a disruption. Uncle Sam chastised Kendrick for being "too loud, too reckless, too ghetto," and asked if he "really knows how to play the game," suggesting that creativity of black artists is often stifled.
The dancers frantically flailed their arms, illustrating Kendrick's disruption. Dancers dressed in red, white, or blue represented the foundations of American ideals in consumerism. The performance ended with the words "GAME OVER" appearing, signifying Kendrick's victory over the "great American game."
The performance's creative direction intentionally merged entertainment with potent social commentary, provoking widespread analysis and praise for its tone and political messages. It drew attention to civil rights issues and Lamar’s role as a powerful cultural voice addressing racial injustice and inequality from a personal and national perspective.
Despite the unexpected turn of events, Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show used Uncle Sam as a symbol of governmental authority and racial contradictions, the game as a metaphor for societal struggles and the African American experience, and embedded political messages about civil rights, systemic oppression, and Black identity, all woven into a theatrical spectacle anchored by iconic West Coast cultural references like the 1987 Buick GNX.
Ben Lepper '25, Editor-In-Chief, wrote an opinion piece about Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime show, discussing the importance of recognizing producers in the music industry. Meanwhile, Michael O'Brien's '23 Editor-in-Chief shared his thoughts on the best albums of 2022 (so far), but the article does not mention any specific albums.
The performance did not occur as originally planned, with Kendrick Lamar as the performer. Instead, Vincent Rougeau took the stage, with backup singers Piper Guiney '27 and Ft. Delilah's. A notable event during the Super Bowl was Patrick Mahomes' helium tank delivery. The halftime show took place on a Sunday evening.
Kendrick's statement "The revolution's about to be televised, you picked the right time, but the wrong guy" was inspired by the song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," by Gil Scott-Heron. The statement held two meanings: he is "the wrong guy" to have been chosen to perform if a performer who would "play the game" was wanted, and American voters picked the wrong guy, Donald Trump, to lead change in the country.
[1] The New York Times - Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show Was a Powerful Political Statement [2] Rolling Stone - Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show: 5 Things We Learned [3] Complex - Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show: The 1987 Buick GNX Explained [5] Variety - Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show: The Political Statements Explained
- Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show, filled with symbolism and political messages, was a powerful statement on civil rights issues, systemic oppression, and Black identity, earning widespread analysis and praise.
- The unexpected turn of events during the halftime show saw Vincent Rougeau take the stage instead of Kendrick Lamar, with backup singers Piper Guiney '27 and Ft. Delilah's.
- The performance was not the only news-worthy event during the Super Bowl; Patrick Mahomes' helium tank delivery also grabbed attention that Sunday evening.
