Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar’s performance at the Super Bowl 59 halftime show, which took place in New Orleans, was headlined by red, white, and blue symbolism, his ongoing feud with fellow rapper Drake, and a slightly underwhelming setlist that left viewers wanting more.
Kendrick Lamar is a Los Angeles-based rapper who has received major recognition over the past decade for his thought-provoking and socially conscious music. In 2019, Rolling Stone Magazine named his 2015 concept album To Pimp A Butterfly the third-best album of the 2010s.
The show opened with actor Samuel L. Jackson welcoming viewers to what he called “The Great American Game” dressed as ‘Uncle Sam’, a common national personification of the United States. Viewers were left wondering if Jackson was just referring to football or if it was a subtle criticism of the game that must be played to get ahead in America. Kendrick Lamar then performed an unreleased song followed by his hit Squabble Up, a track from his recently released album GNX.
Samuel L. Jackson reappeared, once again as Uncle Sam, declaring that Lamar’s performance was “Too loud! Too reckless—too ghetto.” This comment was in anticipation of the criticism that Lamar’s performance would inevitably encounter. There has always been a steady contingent of opponents of hip-hop who criticize it for its graphic language and unvarnished storytelling from the Black perspective.
The two performers were correct in their predictions, as the show garnered negative online commentary aimed at the halftime show, mostly from a few notable Conservatives. Online right-wing personality Ben Shapiro criticized Kendrick for not being able to understand his lyrics, quoting an exchange between President Donald Trump and an Afghan reporter last month. “Actually, it’s a beautiful voice and a beautiful accent. The only problem is, I can’t understand a word you’re saying.” Former House Representative and Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz, who was found to have violated House Rules and standards of conduct by the House Ethics Committee, tweeted that “The halftime show you just watched is clearly the regime’s response to Trump’s historic gains with black men,” an absurd assertion because Lamar was booked months before the election took place.
Jackson would appear again in the show, asking him, “Lamar, do you really know how to play the game?” This may have been a reference to Lamar’s decision to forgo the over-the-top showmanship that is expected of halftime shows and to skip his top hits and stick to a playlist that was meaningful to him.
While the inclusion of two of his own “diss tracks” (a style of song often released in the hip-hop genre to criticize another artist) against music industry megastar Drake strengthened the show’s setlist, Lamar’s choice to play less well-known songs and not include older hits such as m.A.A.D city and Alright was not ideal for appealing to the broad audience that watched the halftime show. Lauren Pauls ‘27 stated that while she “enjoyed the show very much,” she found the decision to open with an unreleased song to be “a terrible decision. It’s the Superbowl, not a concert.” Despite the perhaps weak opening, Pauls enjoyed the show overall. “It was hype, and I liked the set, the background dancers, and how he had jokes sprinkled throughout the performance such as the inclusion of Serena Williams. The setlist was okay, but I liked that they had all the stars, that was a highlight and I thought it was hype. SZA carried.” Interestingly, she “did not care” for Not Like Us, Lamar’s smash diss track which has amassed over a billion streams on Spotify.
R&B singer SZA joined the rapper on stage and together they performed two of their collaborations, All The Stars and Luther. SZA’s appearance broadened the appeal of the show to her fanbase and provided a contrast to Lamar’s solo songs. Apart from rap producer Mustard’s appearance in the closing song tv off, there were no other features. Given the number of connections that Kendrick has made throughout his career, from Dr. Dre all the way to Taylor Swift, the audience had been hoping for a bombshell surprise guest, but none materialized.
