Kendrick Lamar’s Unapologetic Blackness at Super Bowl LIX

Kendrick Lamar dominated the news cycle in 2024 not only with his ongoing feud with Aubrey “Drake” Graham, but also with the announcement that he would be headlining the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show. With the Kansas City Chiefs vying for a record-breaking three consecutive Super Bowl victories and Philadelphia Eagles’ running back Saquon Barkley completing one of the greatest single season performances of all time, NFL fans were blessed with thrilling storylines heading into this year’s game. Much anticipation surrounded the game and the halftime show, where more than 127 million people tuned in – the highest number for any Super Bowl in history. With Lamar taking center stage at halftime, millions would have to reckon with Lamar’s unique brand of politically conscious rap.

Firmly breaking into the mainstream with 2012’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City, Lamar has become well known for tackling heavy topics that impact Black Americans. Released in 2015, To Pimp a Butterfly’s “Alright” served as a song of hope and inspiration for millions taking part in the Black Lives Matter movement. Speaking to HipHopDX as covered by Complex, rapper Rick Wilson sees “Alright” as the successor to Civil Rights protest songs. “Like ‘We Shall Overcome’ in the 60s, folks were in the streets literally saying, ‘We gonna be alright, do ya hear me’ and chanting his [Lamar’s] actual lyrics.” But others were not as keen to embrace the song. Famously, Fox News’ Eric Bolling criticized Lamar for saying “And we hate po-po, Wanna kill us dead in the street for sure” on the track. Likewise, Geraldo Rivera, Bolling’s colleague, claimed, “I think too much of hip hop, too much of rap, has really portrayed the cops as the enemy, as the occupying army.” He went on to say, “This is why I say that hip hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years.” Lamar’s music makes him an often-reviled figure for conservative, white America.

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In recent years, discourse on Lamar’s work has drifted from the political controversy present in his earlier work. With the release of 2022’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Lamar focused primarily on his relationship with his wife, children, mental health and fame. Lamar even renounced the idea that he was some kind of hero for people, saying “The cat is out the bag, I am not your savior; I find it just as difficult to love thy neighbors” in the aptly named “Savior.” In 2024, Lamar stirred up controversy yet again, this time for his highly public feud with Drake. After trading several diss tracks, Lamar became more popular than ever. Public opinion saw Lamar as a hero who had outed an abuser and enabler. This culminated in the announcement that Lamar would headline the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show.

Utilizing thematic elements from To Pimp a Butterfly, Lamar’s halftime performance saw him showcase his pro-Black politics on a national stage. Throughout To Pimp a Butterfly, Lamar is fixated on the temptation and vice that surrounds Black America. He plays the role of Uncle Sam at key moments throughout the project, using the character to represent the way white America and the government work to keep Black people in a cycle of poverty and dependence. On the opening track, “Wesley’s Theory,” he raps:

What you want you a house or a car?

Forty acres and a mule, a piano, a guitar?

Anything, see, my name is Uncle Sam, I’m your dog

Motherfucker, you can live at the mall

I know your kind

Don’t have receipts

Pay me later, wear those gators

Cliché and say, “Fuck your haters”

This character, Uncle Sam, was a prominent feature of this year’s Super Bowl performance. Played by Samuel L. Jackson, Uncle Sam is depicted as an elderly Black man obsessed with order and docility. Jackson’s portrayal re-envisions Uncle Sam as an Uncle Tom. He opens the show at center field, dressed in a blue jacket and top hat, adorned with stars and stripes. “Salutations,” he quips, “It’s your uncle, Sam, and this is the great American game.” The camera then cuts to Lamar, seated upon a GNX (a vehicle heavily referenced in his most recent album, GNX). Dancers flood out of the car, each wearing red, white, or blue, as Lamar remarks, “The revolution ‘bout to be televised; you picked the right time, but the wrong guy.”

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Uncle Sam continues to interject throughout the performance, echoing the thoughts of critics like Bolling and Rivera. After the opening sequence, Lamar plays “Squabble Up” from 2024’s GNX and embraces his West Coast roots, much to Uncle Sam’s chagrin. “No, no, no, no, no! Too loud, too reckless, too… ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up,” Uncle Sam screams. Here, Uncle Sam deviates from his depiction in To Pimp a Butterfly. Jackson’s version of Uncle Sam is determined to have Black people maintain some notion of respectability. Deviation or rebellion is a threat because doing so is against the rules of “the game.” Uncle Sam suggests that success necessitates conformity, and, for Black people, conformity demands docility. Lamar rebukes Uncle Sam by blasting “Humble,” a track that features harsh instrumentals, raucous vocals, and scathing wordplay. Sixty dancers surround him, the colors of their outfits making an American flag with Lamar sticking out in the middle of a divided American Flag. He then proceeds to play “DNA.” and “Euphoria,” further enraging Uncle Sam.

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Halfway through the show, Uncle Sam interrupts Lamar just before the start of “peekaboo.” As Lamar walks out of frame, Uncle Sam enters. “Ah, I see you brought your homeboys with you. Your culture cheat code! Scorekeeper, deduct one life,” he says, staring directly at the audience at home. Lamar then jumps into “Peekaboo” before Uncle Sam can be heard saying, “Aw, you done lost your damn mind.” Lamar slows down the music in response, playing “Luther,” a duet with R&B superstar SZA. As the track begins, Lamar begins to stroll downfield on a makeshift road. Streetlights line either side of his path, harkening back to imagery from the music video for “Alright.”

After a few minutes of slower music and calmer visual performance, Uncle Sam begins to celebrate. “Yeah! That’s what I’m talkin’ about. That’s what America wants. Nice. Calm. You’re almost there. Don’t. Mess. This…” Music suddenly interrupts Uncle Sam as Lamar appears behind him. “It’s a cultural divide.” He continues, “Forty acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music.” Lamar then plays “Not Like Us,” one of the biggest songs of the past year, and “tv off.” The crowd erupts into cheers and applause as Serena Williams can be seen crip walking to the side of the stage and Mustard joins Lamar to dance on the field. The performance then ends with the words “Game Over” lit up in the stands behind the field.

Criticism towards Uncle Sam throughout the performance underscores Lamar’s commitment to spread positivity around Blackness. While Uncle Sam has been used by Lamar in the past as a way of representing the American government and the exploitation of Black people, his Super Bowl LIX Halftime show criticizes this country’s obsession with the idea that Black people must be docile and civil to succeed in life. By having “Game Over” as the last thing the audience sees, Lamar is saying that this way of thinking is over. No longer should Black people play a “game” where they have no say in the rules. “The great American game” that Uncle Sam speaks of isn’t football or the Super Bowl – its surviving and navigating America itself.

Reactions to this performance were mixed across the internet, in part due its openly pro-Black messaging. Because of the Super Bowl’s broad viewership base, millions of viewers were not familiar with Lamar or fond of his progressive political views. As XXL chronicled, “One viral video going around shows someone showing their ‘very Republican parents’ the halftime show, with the dad disgustedly noting, ‘Worst halftime show I’ve ever seen.’” Some conservatives felt that Lamar sacrificed an entertaining performance so that he could promote his political views. On the other hand, many viewers loved the performance. “Tonight will undoubtedly go down as one of the most important halftime shows in the history of the event, if not the most significant mass-televised rap performance of all time,” wrote Mark Beaumont of The Independent.

Photo by Chandan Khanna/AFP

Lamar’s music has been an anthem for protesters in the past, but this year’s performance was notable for the way one protester was hidden from viewers. Near the end of the show, a protester holding both a Palestinian and a Sudanese flag jumped aboard Lamar’s GNX to protest the ongoing conflicts in Palestine and Sudan. Security quickly subdued the protester, and the NFL was able to stop the scene from being broadcast live. Roc Nation, the company who handles the production of the show, told Entertainment Weekly that they “did not condone this action.” Disappointingly, Lamar has since been quiet about the event. For some on the left, Lamar’s silence makes his “music lose a lot of value.” Others were more positive about the situation. With clips of the protester going viral, some believe that Lamar helped provide a platform for this type of activism.

With Lamar embracing his creativity and pension for creating thrilling, politically conscious art, viewers across the country were confronted with positive, pro-Black messaging. Depicting Uncle Sam as an Uncle Tom allowed Lamar to criticize both American society and the notion that Black people must be docile. Lamar’s performance was unapologetic in its Blackness, embracing his Compton roots and love for his culture and community. By promoting these ideas on such a large platform, Lamar has generated positive dialogue on what it means to be Black in today’s America. While unintentional, he also provided a platform for protesters to voice their dissatisfaction with America’s role in harming the lives of people of color around the world, continuing the long tradition of activists adopting Lamar’s work and using it to get their messages out to the world.

Noah Crutchfield is a writer interested in the intersection between race and culture. A senior at the University of Chicago, Noah studies political science and critical race & ethnic studies and is an advocate for the incarcerated. He enjoys writing about race, politics, and music. Noah is currently working on a thesis paper studying Black political solidarity in Tennessee.