Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show
"40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music."
- Kendrick Lamar
Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show
Annotations
00:15 - 00:20
Alludes to the gamification of the American dream
00:22 - 00:30
Parallel between the Super Bowl game and the game of politics
Uncle Sam appropriation as a nod to the "Uncle Tom" stereotype
01:06 - 01:09
Reference to food stamps and government assistance, call to action for Black America to stand up to the government [1]
01:21 - 01:27
Reference to the song "The Revolution will not be televised" by Gil Scot-Heron
02:47 - 02:55
Conditioning within white supremacy in America that Black people should be docile, quiet and grateful for what they get, not loud and aggressive as the common stereotype of Black culture [2]
02:56 - 03:03
"Tightening up" is a concept pushed onto Black communities--here telling the rapper to change the performance to fit the white agenda and level of comfort
03:04 - 03:50
K.Dot walking down the middle as if symbolizing revolution-deconstruction and the division of the US.
Flag was built by the "back of the dancers" symbolizing the backs that built this country against their will [3]
06:00 - 06:10
Nod to the importance of tight-knit community, and the punishment of Black Americans and creation of a culture that purposefully puts Black communities in harms way [4]
08:47 - 09:26
Referencing the threats against Black communities and false promises and toleration presented by the administration
09:48 - 10:00
Alluding to the expectation towards Black Americans to be docile, assimilated--but not to the point of equity or confidence--and digestable to white audiences or counterparts
10:02 - 10:04
Referencing both the public beef of K.Dot and Drake, as well as the political polarization of the U.S.
10:07 - 10:10
Reference to the unrealized promise by the U.S. gov. to give formerly enslaved African Americans control, ownership, and freedom of their land and resources
10:11 - 10:15
Pointing out the ongoing attempts to undermine and suppress the true poewr of Black culture and individuals, though its presence and power cannot be replicated or reproduced [5]
11:28 - 11:35
Serena Williams shown crip walking, self-empowerment for herself and Compton
13:01 - 13:10
Instructing viewers to stop being distracted by what the media and government are pushing out and stand together--about 1.3 million viewers dropped from the broadcast, demonstrating his reach and influence [6]
13:11 - 13:13
"Game Over" in the stadium audience lights, suggesting the loss of the American government as we know it, and a call to action for change
Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, Kendrick Lamar, Apple Music, February 9, 2025, https://ia800601.us.archive.org/7/items/untitled-2_20251005/Untitled%202.mp4
Footnotes
[1] “Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show,” Genius, February 9, 2025, https://genius.com/Kendrick-lamar-and-nfl-super-bowl-lix-halftime-show-lyrics .
[2] Riley Wood, “Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance,” The Panther, February 21, 2025, https://www.thepanthernewspaper.org/entertainment/kendrick-lamars-super-bowl-performance .
[3] Tiana Clark, “Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show Was Radically Political, if You Knew Where to Look,” New York Times, February 14, 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/opinion/kendrick-lamar-halftime-art.html .
[4] Riley Wood, “Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance,” 2025.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.