On Sunday, Feb. 8, American rapper Kendrick Lamar performed at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA for Superbowl LIX. His appearance at a halftime show has been long awaited, especially after his tension with another rapper, Drake. The performance also featured SZA for their songs, “All the Stars” and “Luther.” The performance also included tennis player Serena Williams as a dancer. SZA’s appearance was rumored beforehand and the big reveal happened about halfway through the show.
Sophomore River DeGrave said, “My favorite part of the halftime show was when he brought out SZA.” Many fans were hyped for SZA’s appearance and were waiting with baited breath for her to appear.
Both SZA and Williams briefly dated Drake in the past and were asked by Lamar to perform alongside him as another dig at Drake.
Sophomore Cameron Whitaker said, “Serena was definitely there for a reason.” Lamar’s references to the rapper were not subtle at all, as at the peak of the show, Lamar played his five-time-Grammy-winning rap song, “Not Like Us.”
The song explicitly calls Drake out, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ‘em young. You better not ever go to cell block one[…] Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles,” The lyrics refer to the rapper’s past with actress Millie Bobby Brown, who was allegedly preyed upon by Drake while she was 14. This line also refers to the reports of him allegedly kissing an underage girl in a resurfaced video from a year prior.
Whitaker said, “I don’t think it’ll affect him [Drake] too much as the beef has already died down a lot.” Drake has an insanely successful music career, with billions of streams and countless diehard fans. The feud and his actions may have ruined his reputation, but there’s no doubt his music will continue to be listened to without regard to him as a person.
Lamar’s performance included many eyebrow-raising details that have raised questions and theories from fans. The show had many underlying themes of exploitation, greed, and discrimination. Everything from flared jeans as a political statement to “Squid Game” references, fans have been deeply conspiracizing the hidden meanings of every detail.
Notably, fans pointed out how the stages Lamar and the dancers were on were shaped like the iconic circle, triangle and square from the popular show “Squid Game”. Not only that, but half of the dancers were dressed completely in red, mirroring the all-pink guards from the show. The references are to call out the corporate greed and elitism that comes with the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is worth tens of millions of dollars, with revenue coming from insane ticket prices, million-dollar advertisements, sponsorships and more. The similarities continue; a main plot point of the show is that rich elites get together to watch contestants play dangerous games. This can be obviously seen with all of the rich people that spend tons of money to put on a big game, with a high risk of injury, for the public to view.
DeGrave said, “Personally I think parts of his halftime show were definitely a political message.” Lamar’s creative mind was able to make connections and references on multiple levels. The hidden meanings made fans curious which hyped up reactions to the show.
Eyebrows were raised from the symbolism of America as well. Actor Samuel L. Jackson opened for the halftime show acting as a rendition of Uncle Sam. Jackson spoke in response to Lamar’s songs, and when referred to the song “squabble up,” he said it was too “loud, reckless and ghetto.” This paired with dancers dressed in red, white and blue assembling in formation of the American flag and then dividing in half for Lamar to stand in the center depicts a divided and conflicted America. The allusion to America in the show cements the theme of how black culture is criticized and how the mainstream punishes black culture while also exploiting it.
Lamar included many hidden details in his performance for fans to theorize over. Whether one subscribes to them or not is up to them and how much evidence is there, but it’s indisputable that Lamar’s music includes many of the same themes shown in the details of his performance.
