While the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl LIX, Kendrick Lamar single-handedly sent out a message for all of America on Feb. 9.
Lamar brought Los Angeles to Louisiana, dripped out in streetwear and storytelling a bigger picture for the audience.
He opens with a few songs from his recent album “GNX,” before performing a few from his album “DAMN,” Lamar jumps in early with a strong message by interrupting his song to say, “The revolution about to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy.”
This homage to Gil Scott-Heron’s poem and song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” was a clever way to grab the audience’s attention and speak up about the unfair treatment African Americans have faced in America for decades.
Special guest SZA performs “Luther” and “All the Stars” as a duet with Lamar. This duo always produces great music together.
Snippets of “Not Like Us” played throughout the performance, keeping the audience on their toes leading up to the song.
Once he finally performed the song, the crowd went absolutely nuts as this diss against rapper, Drake has been a hit since it came out in May 2024.
Arguably, the best part of the performance was when the lyrics “say Drake, I hear you like ‘em young,” came up as Lamar smiled straight at the camera. At the same time, he strutted across the stage, which got the crowd going, but not as much as when they screamed “a minor” in unison to one of the most prominent parts of the song.
The next notable moment followed right after as former tennis player Serena Williams shocked the internet in a surprise cameo where she was shown crip walking. She is from Compton, where Lamar also grew up, and her dancing was the best clap back at past criticism for dancing this way.
“TV off” is the final song and a great choice to close out the performance as the last lyrics are “turn his TV off” with the words “GAME OVER” plastered across the stage before it all goes black.
This could signify that the drama with Drake is over, but it also means that the show is literally finished, and he’s done pointing out the world’s problems.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as a character named, “Uncle Sam,” said “This is the great American game” at the beginning of the show and continued to say phrases that went over people’s heads. Throughout the performance, he tries to warn Lamar of being too loud and reckless, but that’s exactly what Lamar intended to do.
In the performance, Uncle Sam was a personification of the United States. It opened the program, greeting the audience to the “Great American Show.” Throughout the performance, Uncle Sam returned with small anecdotes and reactions to Lamar’s performance, reflecting on mixed reviews of Lamar’s music.
“No, no, no, no, no,” Uncle Sam said. “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.” Following the choreography and performance of Lamar’s song “Squabble Up,” the comment that Uncle Sam made portrayed the stereotypes for Black people with the music they listen to and the way they dance.
The backup dancers, dressed in red, white, and blue from head to toe, marched around Lamar and formed the American flag many times during the performance.
Many complained about the show, saying it was one of the worst Super Bowl performances, but Lamar was there to portray real-life problems, and the people who get it get it.
Despite the backlash from many viewers, Lamar’s halftime show was exceptional. The lyricist spoke his truth through music and made history by putting on the most-viewed halftime show.
Others from The Daily Sundial enjoyed the performance as well. Senior Reporter, Nyan Gavino thought it was all handled beautifully. Although he would’ve liked to see Lamar perform his classics from older albums, he still thought it was a phenomenal show through and through.
“I really loved Kendrick’s halftime show. Kendrick showcased just how talented of a performer he is while still maintaining the elements of his artistry that have kept him at the top of the rap industry for so long,” Gavino said. “His song choices were superb and ‘Not Like Us’ was expected but still hit hard. Drake is beyond cooked at this point.”
Sundial Contributor, Yaminah Legohn had similar feelings about the show.
“Kendrick Lamar’s performance for the Super Bowl Halftime Show was both phenomenal and revolutionary, bringing artistry, creativity and entertainment to the stage,” Legohn said. “His use of storytelling and creative direction paid tribute to Compton, West Coast and Black culture.”
New York-based dancer King Kayak was one of the dancers during the halftime show, asserting that it was an honor to perform along slide Lamar.
“The performance experience was amazing. From rehearsal to stage, we all were tapped in and focused,” Kayak said.
Sundial Culture editor, Jesse Illanes also thought the halftime show was amazing.
“The set list having songs from his ‘DAMN’ album was great, ‘Euphoria’ was a cool surprise, ‘Not Like Us’ and ‘tv off’ were absolute showstoppers,” Illanes said. “Some people might be disappointed with no guest stars, but it just highlights the recent stardom that both Kendrick Lamar and SZA have reached, especially with their new tour coming up.”
