The green and black confetti has been swept away from Super Bowl LIX. But something I can’t let go of is Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance featuring SZA, as well as some other unexpected candidates such as Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams.
Everyone heard the amazing vocals and saw the incredible dancing, but some missed the message behind Lamar’s performance. At this point, so many know of the so-called “beef” between Lamar and Drake. If you don’t, here’s a short recap to get you up to date. Their feud goes back in time with multiple songs both Drake and Lamar released about each other, all adding to the quarrel.
After a series of fiery releases in the past years from both artists, in early 2024, Drake released “Family Matters,” which accused Lamar of assaulting his current girlfriend, Whitney Alford.
In May 2024, Lamar released the song that changed the game. “Not Like Us” was released just a day after “Family Matters” dropped. The song immediately topped the charts, hitting number one on the Billboard chart right away and gaining much attention on social media. The song has accusational lyrics like, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ‘em young” and, “Certified Lover-Boy? Certified pedophiles.” These harsh lyrics caused many to target Drake, and he became the topic of a lot of online attention.
Now how does all this tie into Lamar’s Super Bowl performance? Well, with so much commotion over the feud between the two rappers, many questioned what Lamar’s performance would be like, the songs included and whether any shots would be fired at Drake. Again.
As it turns out, yes, there were many shots fired.
The show started with, surprisingly, Samuel L. Jackson, who played the role of “Uncle Sam.” He narrated the show, keeping the audience entertained and up to date with the action-packed performance.
You wouldn’t expect Lamar to step foot on the field and make political references, but that’s exactly what he did. He spread the message that black artists often face conflict after their works are published, including Lamar himself.
Before he began “Not Like Us”, Lamar said, “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music.” This references slavery in America, stating that the performance was more than just a show. He was there to make a statement about the inequality black individuals face.
The formation of an American flag with the dancers showed, once again, the political importance of Lamar’s show.
Lamar came out in flare jeans, a jacket and a shiny, silver chain with a lowercase “a” attached to it. This was a reference to the infamous “Not Like Us.” Alluding to the line, “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably a minor,” yet another jab at Drake.
Lamar performed his songs “HUMBLE.” and “Squabble Up,” which included memorable lyrics and dances. As Lamar made his way down the stage, the backup dancers mirrored his moves as he rapped “Soprano C, we like to keep it on a high note… Sit down, Be humble.”
Later in the show, SZA joined Lamar on stage. They dueted the hit songs “All the Stars” and “Luther.”
But the most awaited, highly anticipated part of the show was at the end of the performance.
Lamar introduced “Not Like Us” by saying, “I wanna perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.” This references Drake’s lawsuit on the label for this song. But Lamar (clearly) did not care. He rapped much of the song, the crowd chanting along at the lyric, “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably a minor”.
This song was the finale of the show. The crowd chanted along, and Serena Williams made her surprise appearance.
Many have questioned why Williams was included in the show. This, like so much of the feud, has quite the backstory. Both Williams and Lamar have what you could call “mutual beef”, as Williams dated Drake back in 2011. After they broke up, he released multiple songs we can assume are about her, insulting her ego, career and even going as far as insulting her family. For Lamar to bring Williams on the stage is a huge power move.
Overall, critics had nothing but good things to say. Time Magazine said that “Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl was unlike any that have come before it” and Buzzfeed called it the “most political and revolutionary show the Super Bowl has ever witnessed.” The audience liked it, and it sure was interesting to watch. Lamar packed his mere 13 minutes on screen with political symbolism and an endless amount of jabs at Drake.
The halftime show was a success. It left all happy, except Drake.
