As always, the Superbowl continues to be a massive event worldwide which fits itself into American pop-culture. This year the game took place on Sunday, Feb. 9 and featured Kendrick Lamar for the half-time show. While there was usual discourse surrounding the Super Bowl, fans widely praised Lamar for his groundbreaking performance.
Kendrick’s half-time show drew in around 134 million viewers, and that number rapidly dropped to 126 million when his stage ended. President Donald Trump was also at the show which made Kendrick’s very politically-driven performance even more impactful, especially as America’s post-capitalist society pushes for great art.
Every movement, word and picture that was plastered on the screen that Sunday night has been deconstructed by millions across the internet, and in an internet-driven age, people have been greatly impacted.
The show kicked off with a visual of the stage being a game controller and Samuel L. Jackson introducing himself as Uncle Sam. Jackson said, “Salutations, it’s your Uncle Sam, and this is the great American Game.”
The entire show had this kind of layered symbolism, depicting the current state of American culture. The performance highlighted the political divide in our country, the lack of democracy and the presence of racial inequality.
A political stage is bound for an array of digestion from individuals. While on stage, Samuel L. Jackson said, “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!”
This sums up the negative opinions many viewers had of Kendrick’s halftime performance. Some people commented publicly via social media messages like, “I can’t even understand what he’s saying,” or “This is not the kind of artist America wanted to perform tonight, next time they need to pick someone better.”
It is worth pointing out that Kendrick Lamar has collected 17 Grammys over the years and received a Pulitzer for his song “DAMN” in 2018. Critically, his merit as an artist is really not up for debate.
Another jaw-dropping moment was Kendrick’s choice to perform his Grammy-winning song, “Not Like Us.” The track is a diss song aimed at Drake.
Drake and Kendrick’s beef began in 2013 when Drake responded to Kendrick’s verse in the song “Control” by Big Sean. However, the drama between the rappers blossomed into a widespread spectacle in 2024 when Lamar’s verse on “Like That” suggested that he is a better rapper than J. Cole and Drake.
Back to Kendrick’s halftime performance, he built up to the moment when he said, “I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.”
“They” refers to Drake, whose legal team threatened Kendrick with a defamation case if he performed “Not Like Us.” Kendrick held the audience on the edge of their seats until the 10:00 mark of his performance, and at 10:40, he directly looked at the camera and said, “Say, Drake,” both of those timestamps are the most replayed parts of Kendrick’s performance on YouTube.
Post-Super Bowl, Kendrick’s Spotify streams increased by 154% after this performance, with many curious about his other music and falling in love with his character. Kendrick is a highly esteemed musician, and to quote him again from his performance, “You can try to rig the game, but you can’t fake influence.”
