On February 9 , 2025 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Kendrick Lamar performed in the SuperBowl halftime show. This show people called best yet being combined with music,visuals, and social commentary. The performance was a thought on occasion addressing the issues of ; U.S identity,social justice, and personal empowerment.
This performance began with Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam (symbolizing the U.S).Helping introduce Lamar and his framing act as “the great American game.” This setup was ironic given the critiques of American society that Lamar’s music would show. The stage was designed featuring a giant playstation controller,which added another layer of satire implying America’s life can be a challenging game.
Lamar played; “GNX”,”Squabble up”, “HUMBLE”,”Euphoria”, and “peekaboo”. He also performed a song featuring SZA, being “Luther” and “All the Stars.” Throughout the performance Lamar and his dancers wore red,white, and blue, implying both the American flag.
One of the most eye-catching aspects of the performance was Lamar’s use of symbolism and imagination. At some point, the dancers formed the shape of the U.S flag, with Kendrick Lamar standing in the middle. This was a representation of a divided country which was a powerful commentary on the state of American society. I decided to ask my brother his thoughts on the show and he said, “I thought it was really interesting, especially how he layed out the stadium to represent the playstation controller.”
Lamar also took this opportunity to address his ongoing issues with Drake. He teased his diss track “Not Like Us”. I asked another question to my brother about his thoughts on the “beef” between Kendrick and Drake and he said, “ I think it’s really funny he’s taunting Drake during the show.”
This performance ended with Lamar’s song “tv off” followed with dramatic display of the words “GAME OVER” on the stadium screens ,this was a final message calling action encouraging viewers to turn off their TVs. Overall Kendrick Lamar’s performance at the Super Bowl halftime show was a testament to his changed spirit and commitment to social commentary. The show was trying to make people realize what’s going on in American society using music and visuals to convey powerful messages and challenges to societal norms.