By Kolin Kriner
Football is the epitome of being American. People gather to cheer on their favorite teams as players throw a ball back and forth. It’s an art.
An art I don’t care about, at any level. So unsurprisingly, I was shocked to see a football game at a Kendrick Lamar concert.
After trudging through the monotony that was the first half of The Super Bowl, where the Eagles were facing the Chiefs, I found myself doing everything but actually paying attention to the game.
As entertaining as men throwing a ball and tackling each other may be, it’s just not for me. I don’t fully understand why everyone around me would begin cheering as if the result of the game had any semblance of making any real impact in their lives.
What did enthrall me though, was the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The halftime show opened with Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam, referring to the “great American game.” FYI, he isn’t talking about football. This is just the beginning of the political undertones Lamar’s set delivered to the half-time show.
He opened with an unreleased verse critiquing the government, and the step back our society has taken from civil rights.
“The revolution about to be televised,” he said after his entrance. “You picked the right time but the wrong guy.”
Much of his performance was leaning into black empowerment and the oppression of black artists in the music industry. He is taking his stage to speak out about these struggles while serving as a figurehead for the modern civil rights movement.
Jackson again appears as Uncle Sam, telling Lamar to tighten up and questioning whether or not he knows how to “play the game.”
This is a deep metaphor for the underappreciation of the black community in many areas of life, with Lamar putting focus onto his artistry. Uncle Sam is meant to represent the financial oppression the industry places on black music artists.
He further increases his political drive while performing “HUMBLE.,” his dancers surround him dressed and arranged to represent the American flag. This is meant to represent a break in the flag, portraying the stagnation in the rights of people of color in modern times.The subliminal messaging and metaphors continue to drive further throughout the performance.
Late into the show he performed his hit, “Not Like Us,” which won five Grammys. The song is a diss track on artist Drake, insinuating that he is a pedophile.
During this part of the set, Serena Williams is a featured dancer. It is believed that Williams and Drake were dating back in the 2010s.
This entire segment was a direct attack on Drake between his ex performing as a dancer, and Lamar looking directly at the camera as he says “Say Drake, I hear you like them young.”
SZA was also a featured performer of the set, as she and Lamar have collaborated numerous times. She delivered beautiful vocals while performing “luther” and “All the Stars.”
Producer Mustard performed with Lamar for the final song of the set, singing “TV Off,” an amazing ending to the Super Bowl Half-time show.
It then ended, and football was back on. I decided to go to bed.
