Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance was more than just a show or a diss on Drake—it was a call to action.
Stating himself that “this is bigger than the music,” Lamar’s halftime performance, while entertaining, contains heavy political undertones that signal the rise of a resistance towards an oppressive America.
The show starts off with an introduction by Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam: the personification of the U.S.A, announcing the performance as “the great American game.”
While this may be a reference to football being a very American sport, with Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam, it implies something bigger and more political.
The performance’s layout itself also plays into Lamar’s message, resembling a playstation controller or a video game. This is most likely a nod to how people view the American dream and economic success, as a game to win.
The camera then cuts to Lamar as his backup dancers hop out of a car, which is then suddenly interrupted by him standing on top of the car saying the phrase, “the revolution is about to be televised.” This is a direct reference to the song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron.
The song Lamar references is about how one cannot be a passive participant in a revolution and how one cannot rely on government leaders and billionaires to give them their freedom. This is a large part of Lamar’s message.
Following that, Lamar plays his song “Squabble Up,” which is then interrupted by Jackson—still dressed as Uncle Sam—referring to the song as “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.”
This alludes to how society, especially in the U.S, continually views black culture as lesser than, and by Lamar playing “Be Humble” after Jackson’s criticisms, it shows how black voices are silenced by these stereotypes and assumptions.
During the second song, the backup dancers form the American flag and don’t break it until Lamar plays “DNA.” This references how the U.S wouldn’t be where it is at now if not for the work of African-Americans, since the labor of their ancestors built much of the South their ancestors are what formed America in the first place, emphasizing that without the contributions of African-Americans, the U.S would crumble.
As that song ends, the words “Warning Wrong Way” flash in the crowd lights. This ties into how the performance is set up like a video game, however it could also reference how America is moving in the wrong direction, especially with Lamar saying “[you picked] the wrong guy” at the start of the performance, which many believe refers to Trump and how many feel he might’ve been the wrong choice, or the “wrong way.”
After Lamar plays multiple more mellow songs, Jackson’s character returns, praising him saying that “this is what America wants, nice and calm.” However, his approval is interrupted as the beginning notes of Lamar’s grammy-winning hit, “Not Like Us” play.
He teases the song while saying “it’s a cultural divide, I’ma get on the floor.” The cultural divide he mentions could be referring to his feud with Drake, however, with all the other political commentary in his performance, it is more likely that this could be referring to the cultural and political divide in the country right now.
He then says the line that packs the biggest punch towards his message during this performance, “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music.”
This refers to the post-Civil-War promise that America made in the Special Field Orders, No. 15, a wartime order to give land to freed slave families in plots no larger than 40 acres and a mule. However, this was never fulfilled due to President Lincoln’s attempts to reverse it and eventually President Johnson’s official overturning of it.
Lamar’s mention of this highlights America’s broken and unfulfilled promises, such as those of freedom and equality which many do not have.
“They tried to rig the game but you can’t fake influence,” is Lamar’s next line. This refers to the “great American game” mentioned before and how it’s rigged against minorities and the black community, yet he still stands in the stadium, influencing those with his performance.
Lamar’s choice to play “Not Like Us” was bold but necessary. While it’s obvious that he decided to do it at the halftime show since it’s one of the biggest stages a performer could get, and thus would get more people on his side in the Drake debate, there may be another reason he decided to.
Lamar has been known to disapprove of Donald Trump’s presidency. Thus, with him in the audience, this was the most direct choice, as the song accuses Drake of one of the same crimes as Trump himself has been accused of.
Finally, Lamar ends the performance with “Tv Off.” This is the perfect end for his message that the revolution is starting, repeating the phrase, “turn this TV off,” as the lights of the stadium dim and most people that just tuned in for the performance turn their TV off.
“The revolution will not be televised,” so by telling everyone listening to turn their TV off, Lamar is calling for a revolution against the relentlessly biased, imperfect America that currently exists and for the viewers to take action instead of being passive “participants” of the revolution.
