Kelcy Conroy
Managing Editor
“Salutations!” exclaimed actor Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as the iconic Uncle Sam persona, introducing rapper Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance. “This is the Great American Game!”
Super Bowl LIX, which took place on Feb. 9 was watched by 127.7 million people, making it the most watched Super Bowl of all time. In a final score of 22-40, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs, preventing them from achieving the first occurrence of three consecutive wins, nicknamed as a “three-peat.” However, one of the most anticipated events of the night was the annual Apple Music Halftime Show, headlined this year by Kendrick Lamar. And thus, the Coca-Cola Halftime Report ended, the lights dimmed and Lamar took the stage.
Jackson’s “Great American Game” intro didn’t just reference football as a known patriotic symbol, it was a comment on the race and political relations and division as well as socioeconomic issues that have shaped our nation for generations. This reference comes back throughout the duration of the show. Jackson, as Uncle Sam reprimands Lamar throughout the performance, calling him “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto,” and asking him if he “really knows how to play the game.” Lamar, as well as many other Black people across America must “play the game” the way America expects and fit into the “social norm,” not to behave “too ghetto,” the word that has met Black musicians and everyday people for years. The stage is set up in a design comparable to the symbols used in “Squid Game” or the symbols on a PlayStation controller further pushing the idea of a “game” that Lamar must play by the rules of. Mid performance Lamar hints at playing his hit song “Not Like Us,” a direct stab at fellow rapper Drake, however he pushes it off until later in the show and transitions to “luther,” with singer SZA joining him on stage. Something calmer and lighter. How he’s expected to “play the game.”
“Not Like Us” however comes back in its full direction towards the end of the performance, a statement that Lamar, as well as other Black artists are free to express themselves how they choose, without fear of being criticized.
One of Lamar’s opening lines is “The revolution about to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy,” referencing Gil Scott-Heron’s infamous 1970 poem. This quote also serves as important in the current political context, with President Donald Trump beginning his second term not even a month before, who has already imposed harm on Black communities as well as other marginalized communities. During this segment Lamar even shoots a disapproving glance at Trump, who was in the audience.
As a further glimpse into the cultural context surrounding the show, during the performance one of Lamar’s dancers unfurled a flag with the Palestinian and Sudanese flags on it, “Sudan” and “Gaza” written on it as well. This incident comes during a ceasefire in Gaza placed between Israel and Hamas and also during a civil war that has ravaged Sudan since 2023. The dancer was detained, could face charges and is banned from all NFL events for life. Lamar’s field team had no prior knowledge of the dancer’s intentions.
While the halftime show is usually seen as an entertaining break from the biggest football event of the year, many people saw this year’s halftime show as impactful as it showcased the cultural, social and political divide in the country at the moment.