Kendrick Lamar performed at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime show in New Orleans. The performance was the most watched halftime show, with 133.5 million people tuning in. A majority of the crowd says the halftime show was disappointing and boring, but many missed the true meaning behind it. It was not only a halftime show but a lesson.
Kendrick brought controversy and a piece of art to the stage. The message goes over a lot of people’s heads, but he’s trying to tell us something. Now, let’s discuss the theme of the performance. We see the stage is set as a video game controller, and the game is “loading”.
Samuel L Jackson enters acting as “Uncle Sam,” saying, “This is the great American game.” The concept of a “game” is referenced to Black people having to constantly navigate American culture, life, and politics. “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto!” Jackson said during the performance. “Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up!” The game represents our system to make it out alive or successful.
Kendrick stands up on the truck as dancers enter the stage and states, “The revolution about to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy.” This line is so powerful here. It can be interpreted as a direct call-out to both Trump and America itself. He’s telling the world I am here to speak my mind, and this isn’t just about music. All his dancers were dressed in red, blue, and white as a representation of America. During his performance of “HUMBLE”, Lamar and his dancers, who were notably all black men, formed what appeared to be an American Flag split down the middle. I interpreted this as a division in American society and the current state we are in now. It also highlights oppression and patriotic ideals.
At 10 minutes in, he brings out a more powerful symbolic representation. Lamar says, “40 acres and the mule, this is bigger than the music”. “40 Acres and the Mule” was a promise made to formerly enslaved African Americans after the Civil War, which proposed giving each freed family 40 acres of land and a mule to help them establish economic independence. This is the most important line to me in the show because not many understood what it meant when it was said. This is the whole point of his performance, representing African Americans in America, especially during this political time. The way he subtly adds it to his performance is bold and influential.
Not only does he use symbolism with his words, but he creates images with his characters. At one point during the show, Jackson yells, “Deduct one life”. Then, all the dancers drop beside the inner circle. There is an immense amount of symbolism, and he planned every detail out so vividly that you almost miss it. Another image created was when his dancers split in half and then ran towards each other frantically. It represents the state of America today, the division and tension between the right and the left.
Fox News, a particularly right-leaning news organization, gave the performance so much hate and criticism that it’s almost ironic. Multiple news reporters called it “The worst halftime show ever” and a “Nightmare”. It’s clear here that Kendrick Lamar did the job correctly. The mass audience will not understand. It’s crazy to see highly paid news reporters bashing it because they missed the entire meaning.