Standing atop a Buick GNX, rapper Kendrick Lamar warned, “The revolution ‘bout to be televised. You picked the right time, but the wrong guy.”
Flipping Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 poem about Black liberation, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” (and possibly taking aim at President Trump, who was in attendance), Lamar utilized his 13-minute Super Bowl halftime performance to tell a uniquely American story — all while dissing Canadian rapper Drake.
Fresh off a clean sweep at last weekend’s Grammys, the 37-year-old Compton rapper elicited a slew of theories and interpretations, from both fans and peers, about his performance, which celebrated Black culture. As his dancers, dressed in red, white and blue, assembled to create a divided American flag, with Lamar at its center, his storytelling was subtle but powerful.
Inside New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome, actor Samuel L. Jackson appeared as Uncle Sam in a star-patterned top hat and introduced the crowd to “the great American game.” Guiding the audience through halftime, he made remarks like “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto” after Lamar’s performance of “Squabble Up.” When longtime collaborator SZA joined the rapper to sing “Luther” and “All the Stars,” the Oscar-nominated song from “Black Panther’s” soundtrack, Jackson exclaimed, “That’s what America wants! Nice and calm.” The actor’s performance and commentary led to comparisons to his Uncle Tom role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” where he played a loyal house slave named Stephen.
Throughout the show, Lamar openly toyed with the idea of whether he would perform the Drake diss and L.A. anthem, “Not Like Us,” saying, “I want to play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue” — referring to Drake’s defamation lawsuit. But as the recognizable beat echoed, Lamar flashed a sly smile while rapping the line, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ‘em young,” and let the audience fill in the blank, calling him a “certified pedophile.”
Rapper Flavor Flav was among the celebrities who took to X to praise the performance, writing, “The way the WHOLE stadium just yelled ‘A MINOOOOOOOOOORRRRR.’ ” Ab-Soul, who’s signed to Lamar’s label, Top Dawg Entertainment, also wrote on X, “BIG AS DA SUPER BOWL,” referencing Drake’s “First Person Shooter” — the track that instigated the feud between the rappers. Doechii, who was recently won top rap album at the Grammys, congratulated SZA and Kendrick, saying, “So proud of yall so inspired.”
Also, during his performance of “Not Like Us,” the camera flipped to show tennis star Serena Williams crip-walking. After receiving backlash for doing the same dance in 2012 following her Olympic win, the fellow Compton native brought the dance back for the big game. The athlete was also rumored to be in a relationship with Drake in the early 2010s. After years of speculated disses by Drake in songs like “Worst Behavior” and “Nothings Into Somethings,” Williams took the opportunity to perform with his biggest adversary.
Lamar ended the show with an electric performance of “TV Off.” Joined by collaborator DJ Mustard, it was a full-circle moment in which he called for viewers to turn away from distractions and focus on the reality around them.
Mike Carson, co-creative director and production designer of the halftime performance, told Wired that the stage had a video game motif. The performance spaces in the shape of Xs, Os and triangles resembled PlayStation controller buttons. The performance concluded with the words “GAME OVER” spelled out in the crowd — referencing both the game and his beef with Drake.
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