The Super Bowl, one of the most highly anticipated sporting events globally, has constantly taken place on the second Sunday of February since 2022. With a rich history starting in 1967, the iconic halftime performance has become a memorable part of Super Bowl Sunday traditions. This year Super Bowl LIX took place on Feb. 9, 2025 and hosted Kendrick Lamar as the star of the halftime performance.
Kendrick Lamar is a well known American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Lamar is widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative artists of his generation, making it no surprise that he is often named one of the greatest rappers of all time. Lamar is highly praised for his lyrical talent; His remarkable ability to narrate and convey powerful social commentary through his storytelling is what makes his music extremely influential.
Before being featured in the Super Bowl, Lamar had gained attention from fans for his “Rap Battle” against Drake during late April of 2024. In this rap battle, Lamar and Drake had both released multiple diss tracks exposing alleged secrets and rumors about Drake’s music career, culture identity, sexual relationships, and biological children. Lamar’s diss tracks quickly gained popularity and drastically grew on the charts; these songs include “Euphoria,” “Meet the Grahams,” and “Not Like Us.”
“Not Like Us” quickly became more than a diss track on Drake, but rather a cultural phenomenon. The record led Lamar to his five Grammy wins at the 2025 Grammy Awards. These awards were for best rap performance, best rap song, best music video, song of the year, and record of the year.
As Lamar’s message of empowerment continued to resonate with multiple audiences, he took the stage at one of the world’s most watched events: Super Bowl LIX, and performed the Grammy winning record, “Not Like Us.”
During the performance, SZA (Solána Imani Rowe) made an appearance alongside Lamar as his special guest, along with actor Samuel L. Jackson. Aside from the special guests, American record producer and DJ, Mustard (Dijon Isaiah McFarlane) and Serena Williams made an appearance during the halftime performance.
Throughout the show, Lamar had performed other well known songs such as “Luther,” “All the Stars,” “Euphoria,” and “Humble.” However, the performance was more than just an electrifying display of choreography and music—it was a masterpiece in subtle storytelling.
The start of Lamar’s performance featured a cameo from award-winning actor Samuel L. Jackson introduced Lamar at “the Great American Game.” In this cameo, Jackson was wearing a red, white, and blue suit with a top hat to present a different narrative of what the well known patriotic character Uncle Sam looks like.
Considering Uncle Sam is portrayed as a white man, Jackson took another role, this time to reference Uncle Tom. The Term “Uncle Tom” originates from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which focuses on the horrors of slavery in the United States. It highlights the brutality of the institution and the impact it left on families. The novel successfully showcases the resilience of enslaved people.
Furthermore, during the performance, Jackson accused Lamar of being “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto” to voice the stereotypes that are often associated with Black Americans and hip-hop music.
As well, early in his performance, Lamar had spoken of “the revolution,” communicating to the audience. stating, “The revolution is about to be televised; You picked the right time but the wrong guy.”
Social media quickly made theories off this line being in reference to Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 poem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” which critiques the media’s role in revolution and change. Ultimately provoking readers to realize that true change would have to be through their actions not corporations as the media would not showcase the violence of racism.
As for the set for the performance, it had become clear they were performing in a prison yard, sending a strong message alone. It had been in reference to the issue of mass incarceration and racial disparities of individuals behind bars. Despite being for the same crimes, Black Americans had been at a higher incarceration rate compared to White Americans.
However, this wasn’t the first time Kendrick had used a performance to highlight the disparities of the justice system. In his 2016 Grammy’s performance, Lamar had dressed in a prison uniform along with other backup dancers across the stage while other musicians performed in prison cells.
Similarly, in his Super Bowl performance, Lamar’s backup dancers had been dressed in red, white, and blue. If the colors alone weren’t enough to give the U.S. flag reference away, dancers came together during “Humble” to completely form the image.
Later in the choreography, dancers had bent forward, lifting up their backs. While it hasn’t been refuted, social media theories have shared that the movements could indicate how America was built on the backs of Black Americans during slavery. Shortly after, the dancers had separated between Lamar during the lines of, “it’s a cultural divide,” sparking the idea of political divisions around the nation.
As Lamar prepared to perform “Not Like Us,” Lamar raps to his backup singers, “40 acres and mule, this is bigger than the music.” This line had been in reference to the restitutions promised to Black Americans following the end of slavery. It was in 1865 that General William T. Sherman and 20 Black leaders in Savannah, Georgia ruled for formerly enslaved families to receive 40 acres of land. However, the promise had never been fulfilled.
As if the show wasn’t filled with surprises enough, tennis legend Serena Williams took the stage to dance alongside Lamar’s team. This appearance was a direct diss to her ex-boyfriend, also known as the inspiration or victim of the diss track, Drake. Williams was decked out in a royal blue tennis skirt with a matching jacket, and was “crip walking” on stage.
Beyond the show stopping surprise appearances, the significance of Lamar’s Halftime performance lies in lasting impact and thought-provoking messages.Although the Super Bowl and Black History Month have passed, the profound impact and hidden messages in Lamar’s halftime performance remain remarkably relevant. His unapologetic celebration and bold commentary on systemic racism continue to resonate deeply.
As we move forward, it is essential to acknowledge the topics that Lamar voiced that others wouldn’t have out of fear. The artistry and activism that Kendrick embodied on that stage will forever be inspirational for underrepresented communities.
