“The revolution ‘bout to be televised; you picked the right time but the wrong guy,” asserted Kendrick Lamar in the opening of his ‘revolutionary’ halftime show, at the 2025 superbowl. Being the first solo rapper to headline a superbowl halftime show, Lamar displayed an intriguing performance of dancers, fireworks, and other guests. Following his performance, there has been an uprising in questions about the impact and significance of his show. In fact, his performance seems to have been more than just a source of entertainment.
At the beginning of the show, Samuel Jackson entered the stage dressed as Uncle Sam, a national personification of the United States. Introducing Lamar’s performance, Jackson announced, “This is the great American Game”, with a dual interpretation of this line referring to football being the “American Game” or simultaneously symbolizing the “American Game” of controlling its people. The suggestion of wrongful controlling in America is also represented through the stage being in the formation of a game controller. Lamar’s performance featured a surplus of background dancers sporting red, white, and blue attire, forming the American flag. As the show progressed, the formation of the flag split in half on either side of Lamar. Although this enhanced the visual perception of the show, it actually alluded to a larger picture: the political and racial division in America. Later, in Lamar’s rapping he says, “It’s a cultural divide…40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music”. Through this line, Lamar subtly draws attention to the failed promises to formerly enslaved Black Americans following the abolishment of slavery. Lamar again alludes to the racial injustice and inequity in America by recalling wrong doings from the past.
Although in some ways controversial, Kendrick Lamar utilized his stage time to promote awareness of real life issues and injustices. Through his poetic lyrics, symbolic visuals, and variety of easter-eggs throughout the show, viewers were able to interpret his messages. While many viewers overlooked the greater meaning of his performance, and criticized it for its lack of energy, others praised it for the greater message it delivered.
