The cast member who displayed the Palestinian flag with the word "GAZA" in protest during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show will not face charges, New Orleans police said Monday.https://t.co/iD6z2NSWE8
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 10, 2025
Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show on February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans has garnered widespread attention, not just for its musical prowess but also for its bold social commentary. The Compton rapper’s performance adeptly combined artistry with subversive messaging, challenging viewers to reflect on America’s socio-political landscape. Standing atop the hood of a black GNX, Lamar opened his performance with an assertive declaration: “The revolution ’bout to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy.” This paraphrase of Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 recording “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” set the tone for a show steeped in political and social critique.
.@KendrickLamar’s SBLIX @AppleMusic Halftime Show is trending #1 on YouTube Globally@nfl @nflonfox @pglang #SBLIX https://t.co/nbVMiqfnQ6 pic.twitter.com/HIpOagzb8P
— Roc Nation (@RocNation) February 10, 2025
Throughout the performance, Lamar grappled with the paradox of advocating for revolutionary change while standing on one of the nation’s most commercialized stages. In revisiting the thematic essence of his Grammy-winning album “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” from 2022, Lamar critiqued the shallow allure of subversive imagery that fails to spark true change.
MY COLUMN:It’s not easy to decode Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance, but it’s important https://t.co/DFssqlSozV
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) February 11, 2025
His message resonated deeply, emphasizing the ostensible contradiction of promoting revolutionary ideas amid an event that upholds the status quo. A poignant moment in Lamar’s performance featured an elaborate metaphor illustrating his “great American game” concept. Through strategic light displays and the formation of PlayStation controller button symbols, he underscored the manipulative mechanisms at play within American society.
There’s a lot of conversation around Kendrick’s performance last night. What did you think about it? https://t.co/xDXO43lWfP
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) February 11, 2025
kendrick Lamar’s bold halftime critique
The football field, the quintessential American stage, transformed into a visual commentator on systemic exploitation, connecting modern-day sports to the historic roots of the slave plantation. Professional sports and their exploitative dynamics were called into question as Lamar’s performance transitioned to a prison yard, an unmistakable nod to Ava DuVernay’s documentary on the prison-industrial complex, “13th.” While the imageries of the prison yard and the American flag formed by Black male dancers bordered on trite, they encapsulated the relentless cycle of Black labor exploitation in the United States.
Lamar effectively navigated the tension between his own celebrity and his political ambitions throughout the 12-minute set. Guided by Samuel L. Jackson, who narrated the performance dressed as a hybrid Uncle Sam/Uncle Tom figure, Lamar’s transitions between politically charged tracks and crowd-pleasing anthems like “Humble” and “DNA” were seamless and profound.
Jackson’s interaction with Lamar, employing satire and rebuke, struck at the heart of conflicted Black identity in America. In one of the show’s most visually striking portions, Lamar and his backup dancers adorned in red, white, and blue outfits subverted traditional American flag iconography. This powerful visual representation challenged preconceived notions of Black identity and beauty, contrasting the joy and unity among the performers with the grim reality often depicted in mainstream narratives.
Ultimately, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show was a compelling blend of artistry and activism, raising critical questions about the platform’s capacity for genuine revolutionary change. While performing on America’s most commercial stage, Lamar delivered a performance that was as much a call to consciousness as it was entertainment, proving his prowess not just as an artist but as a thoughtful commentator on American society.
