Yes, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance Was Political – Why Are You Surprised?
“Boring.” “Trash.” “Not entertaining.” “Worst Super Bowl halftime show ever.” I could go on and on forever with the negativity I saw spewed across social media. This after my niece and I watched Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance together, and loved it. Neither one of us was watching the game, but we did tune in for that. I went back to watching my Kdrama, and she was scrolling in disbelief over the comments she was seeing. She just didn’t understand how people were calling it “the worst.”
I not only understood, but expected it. I knew people wouldn’t like it because they want to be “entertained.” Personally, I was entertained. I think Kendrick commanded that entire stage and to me, I couldn’t look away. I danced, I smiled, I laughed, and I absorbed the messages he was sending.
I get it. Everyone doesn’t want a message, but does that mean that an artist shouldn’t be allowed to deliver one? The comments I heard were similar to the ones that I heard people making about Beyonce and the message she sent with her halftime performance. It’s in the name. ARTist. These are people who make art. If they’re chosen to perform, they’re allowed to perform in the way they want to, period. If there’s a problem with that, maybe take it up with the NFL. I haven’t had anything good to say about the NFL in a while, but I will give them credit for “allowing” Kendrick’s performance to go on as he wanted.
This all reminds me of when Laura Ingram, who is a conservative television and radio host, told LeBron James to stop talking politics, and “shut up and dribble.” Artists and entertainers are allowed to express themselves in the way they choose to. Are they not allowed the free speech that people like to scream they’re being denied? Absolutely! And let’s not confuse free speech with hate speech.
To go back to Beyonce, it’s like there’s the “Destiny’s Child Beyonce fans” and the “Lemonade Beyonce fans.” Some are both, but a lot of people just still want to hear Single Ladies. For me, while I liked the Destiny’s Child Beyonce music, I LOVE the Lemonade and beyond Beyonce. And as far as Kendrick, he’s always had something to say. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his DAMN album. They don’t just give those away. And his win was historic, as he was the first artist to win in the music category that wasn’t jazz or classical.
If you’re someone who might want to try to understand why people like me found it profoundly symbolic and culturally significant, here are some of the moments you could do some research on yourself, or even just experience it in the way art is supposed to be. Sit with it, absorb it, feel it, and interpret it. When artists put something out, it’s from their perspective, and once it’s out there, it’s up to us to see how it resonates with us. But to just dismiss what we all witnessed as trash, is just a lazy take if you ask me. I won’t get into all the explanations, and hope you’ll look into these aspects yourself.
- Samuel L. Jackson narrating the performance dressed as Uncle Sam, considered the personification of The United States and the U.S. Government.
- Kendrick standing in the middle of a divided American flag made up of Black people.
- Serena Williams metaphorically c-walking all over Drake’s hip-hop beef grave.
- The nod to Squid Game.
- PlayStation buttons as 4 of the surrounding stages, as well as the main stage appearing to be a prison yard.
- The Game Over at the end of the performance.
- “Forty acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music.”
These are just a few references, and again, I encourage you to do just a little research and to see what it triggers in you as well. If you’re looking to find some other explanations, here’s a great breakdown to check out by Nettrice Gaskins.
I also have to mention the stellar performance of SZA who, besides being beautiful and adorable, has an incredibly stunning voice and stage presence. When she sang All The Stars from the Black Panther soundtrack I had tears in my eyes. I thought about Chadwick Boseman and how much he is missed. And I thought about the HUGE cultural impact that Black Panther had, and how this song being a part of what will go down as another major cultural moment, really did feel like all the stars were aligned.
For the “keep politics out of it” crowd. I’m sorry but I have news for you, it’s all political now. It’s tough to escape. It’s in the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the books we read, the choices we make, the lives we live. Politics is in everything we do, and whether you want to believe it or not, it’s in, and has always been in, the sports you see as an escape. Sure we can try to run from it, but I for one, am grateful that Kendrick used his art to look it square in the eye and call out the state of our country. It was brave, and seeing as we claim to be the home of the brave, I for one, will celebrate Kendrick and thank him for doing what many of us aren’t brave enough to do ourselves.
And one more thing and I’m outta here. Kendrick Lamar is a hip hop artist. Do you not know the history of hip hop? You claim you love hip hop but do you really? It was a movement, a voice of the people, an outlet for the youth, a response to the challenges people were facing at the time in the Bronx. Kendrick’s performance just continued, and held tight to, the legacy of hip hop. He’s doing his part in the world. Are we?
