An Artistic and Cultural analysis of the Super Bowl LIX HalfTime Show

Not everyone can stomach watching people fight over a ball for three lengthy hours (A.K.A, a football game). Those who relate to this sentiment find themselves in the subsection of Super Bowl viewers who sit through the event solely for its yearly HalfTime performance, where a select artist (and other their surprise-feature artists) pull a medley of songs together to create a visual performance which showcases their talents to the American public. This year, rapper Kendrick Lamar headlined the show with SZA as the feature artist. What many may not know about Grammy-winning Lamar is his decorated past; he has won a slew of awards, including the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his album “D*MN.”’s representation of the African American experience. Despite breaking through the glass ceiling as the first solo rapper to perform at the Super Bowl HalfTime, Lamar’s performance received responses on both ends of the spectrum. The show landed poorly for some audiences, who argued that the set lacked visual excitement; however, fans of the performance pointed out the poignant activism, technical artistry, and satisfying revenge of his show in rebuttal. 

 Actor Samuel L. Jackson opened Lamar’s show as Uncle Sam, the famous personification of the United States, welcoming the crowd. The camera then zoomed onto an unlit Lamar, who sat atop a car, rapping an unreleased tune. The automobile mirrored the car which Lamar leans against on the cover of his sixth studio album, “GNX,” which was released late last November. One by one, dancers emerged from the car, wearing baggy sweat suits in red, white, and blue, and descended the stage’s steps; soon, dancers were tumbling out of all car exits, overwhelmingly outfitted in red. These dancers gathered before bowing to a bellowing Lamar, who stared viewers straight in the eye while saying, “the revolution ‘bout to be televised…you picked the right time, but the wrong guy.” All dancers then broke into frenzy before they called on Lamar to launch into “squabble up,” one of his many hits from “GNX.” 

 What revolution does he speak of? And why is he the “wrong guy” at the “right time?” Lamar revealed what he may mean in his performance of “HUMBLE.,” a selection from his Pulitzer Prize winning song collection. In this section, Lamar’s dancers formed the American flag around him before they split the flag into two sections, one on each side of the rapper. The broken flag may be interpreted as a commentary on America's currently divided nature, whether in the political, racial or social spheres. Lamar’s commentary so far commands Americans to “sit down,” and humble themselves enough to unite. Lamar continues his social critique by noting that a nation ridden with civil violence impedes peace as portrayed by gunshots ringing out and Lamar’s backup dancers scrambling away from the American flag formation. 

 Lamar then performed songs “DNA” and “Euphoria” where he and his backup dancers moved up and down the stage in methodical patterns before the lights flickered and went dark. The cameras then focused on a streetlight, where men in white shirts, jeans, and assorted accessories hummed and snapped an a cappella accompaniment to Lamar’s “man at the garden,” also from “GNX.” The tune floated on for around a minute before Uncle Sam’s appearance caused the backup singers to scurry away with Lamar following; Uncle Sam then “deduct[s] one life” from Lamar for encountering him at the scene. Uncle Sam’s dialogue alludes to racism within American politics and the politicians who perpetuate it, by treating Lamar’s appearance with his “homeboys” (as described by Uncle Sam) as something to be ashamed of. 

 Lamar took to rapping “peekaboo,” with a background of gesturally energetic dancers before a group of four women sauntered in to meet with Lamar; he confided in them, revealing his urge to play our “favorite song,” while grappling with how “they [perhaps Drake, who recently sued Lamar for his allegedly defamatory diss track] love to sue.” Suddenly, the tune to “Not Like Us” blasted out. 

 At this point, the audience really began cheering as Lamar buried his urges of revenge and decided to take part in a calmer set, rather than singing his iconic diss track.

 Here, singer SZA came out to sing with Lamar in his song featuring her: “luther,” which (unsurprisingly) appears on “GNX.” The camera slowly zoomed in on the artist as she floated through her verse, lying goddess-like across the floor and decked in head-to-toe red. She was adorned in converse, lace-up leather pants, a cropped, leather jacket, and sported wine-red curls, which flowed to below her back. SZA and Lamar gathered together on a triangle-shaped platform, bouncing lines off of each other, and creating a contrasting beauty between Lamar’s harsh, spoken verse and SZA’s cascading vocals. The pairing also chose to perform “All the Stars,” which they, alongside other producers, created for the Black Panther soundtrack. This performance broke from the liquid visuals of “luther” with ridgid marches and shapes (such as squares and lines). Lamar began his verses with the marching dancers moving their arms upwards and sideways, possibly referencing pledges (both for the United States, and for the various allegiances within the nation). SZA then performed a short section before the program cut to Uncle Sam yet again. 

 One common criticism which viewers and SZA fans shared was that SZA lacked a presence in the performance; the artist received a little less than a minute of singing time in the show. Undoubtedly, many wanted to see SZA perform for longer. Professional tennis player Serena Williams also made a short, surprise appearance on stage.  

 Following Lamar’s set with SZA, Uncle Sam came out once more to congratulate Lamar on his performance, saying “that's what America wants! Nice and calm.” Nonetheless, Jackson gives Lamar a warning: “you’re almost done. Don’t. Mess. This…” Lamar cut off Uncle Sam with the true beginning of his “Not Like Us” performance. Chances are, viewers turned their focus to the screen when they heard the tune play; this performance had many highlights, including the direct mention of Drake while Lamar stared viewers dead in the eye. Other highlights were the cheering of the crowd and the dropping dead of background dancers. Lamar intentionally set up his “dialogue” with Uncle Sam to highlight how he does not fear straying from expectation, and that he intends to fight for what he believes in, whether that be equality, a (petty?) vendetta, or a combination of the two. 

 The show ended with “tv off,” and a general victorious tone running through the performance as Lamar shouted “turn his TV off” repeatedly, supposedly another dig at Drake. 

This article would be remiss without noting a moment of unplanned activism which occurred during the performance. Completely unbeknownst to Lamar, one of the background dancers raised a Sudanese and Gazan flag to bring attention to the recent atrocities occurring in both regions before he was escorted off stage. Interestingly, all major TV channels broadcasting the SuperBowl avoided showing this dancer. 

 Lamar’s Super Bowl leaned heavily into symbolism and theme. While some viewers appreciated Lamar’s activism, it flew over the heads of others, who did not fully appreciate Lamar’s lyrical complexities. Moreover, some of the viewers who did understand Lamar’s references still felt underwhelmed by his lack of energetic, theatrical tricks, which he sacrificed in order to perform in his technical rap style. Some viewers debate whether the trade-off outweighs the eye-punching visuals, which HalfTime shows typically lure fans with, arguing that the wide American public cares more about spirit than technique. Kendrick Lamar’s HalfTime performance highlighted how the Super Bowl need not be just a spectacle; it can also tell stories of injustice and opportunity.