The Super Bowl is one of the biggest events in the United States, bringing in sports and music fans around the country to watch. According to Yahoo Entertainment, this year’s numbers reached 126 million viewers.

This year’s halftime performance by Kendrick Lamar was definitely something to keep an eye on, but there was more than just entertainment in his performance, there was a message. 

Lamar has always been known to have underlying meaning in his music, whether it’s bringing something important to other’s attention or mentioning cultural differences. For this show, he decided to do both. 

A majority of the audience was focused on Lamar’s personal disagreements with another music artist, Drake, but the performance was about more than drama in the media. 

Bringing his political views to a stage that was heavily revolving entertainment is bold, but ultimately necessary if people are not outwardly seeking new information and “shrugging” it off. 

Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, walks onto the field. “This is the great American game,” he bluntly states to the audience, a visual of tic-tac-toe accompanying him. 

The mention of a game is meant to connect to the actual football game itself, but it also ties to the “game” the U.S.government brings onto its citizens. In this case, Lamar refers to capitalism, politics and cultural differences.

Most half-time performances tend to draw on the jovial atmosphere football brings, but Lamar chose to begin with a message bigger than football that can be seen as uncomfortable, but to me it was necessary.

By drawing in tension, it forces his audience to listen and hear him through a topic many tend to avoid, such as the state of our government. For instance, Lamar uses Uncle Sam to show a vocal group in the U.S. that is seen as a walking stereotype. 

Lamar then enters the show vocalizing his opposition to characters or people like Uncle Sam, fighting against norms that constrain minority groups. 

As the performance continues, Lamar makes clear digs at other artists, however, I think Lamar only does this as a way of being able to share his message.

By intertwining the entertainment aspects people enjoy with harsher topics, Lamar is able to remain vocal while keeping that engagement in his performance.

Uncle Sam appears once again during the performance mentioning that Lamar’s performance is “too ghetto.”

This idea of disapproval when it comes to identity has been a constant point of discussion in American politics and Lamar makes a clear distinction to these critics. 

After the performance, many were disapproving of the performance, according to The Root, however, this was Lamar’s entire point.

The hate Lamar has received by groups for his performance is entirely ignorant. People who felt negatively toward his performance failed to realize his entire point of creating a political statement.

By being uncomfortable, Lamar makes his entire performance’s point clear— that change is not possible without discomfort.

By being placed in these situations, minority groups have already felt this discomfort for their entire lives and for others to be upset over one 12-minute-long performance shows the hypocrisy of the system that has set up this disproportion. 

Especially during the dance formation showing the depiction of an American flag being divided, Lamar shows how divided the U.S. is.

The performance was more than just beef. It had a point to tell: that America has lost its identity and where it actually stands as a nation.

Finally, Uncle Sam appears once more with his final message saying that Lamar used a “cultural cheat code”. 

This ultimately just means that the character, Uncle Sam, is saying that Lamar is strategically placing relevant Black culture into his half-time show on purpose.

By ending the show on this note, it is clear Lamar was telling his message all along and that it was always much more than just the music for him.

Not only is Lamar able to capture the crowd with drama. entertainment and music, but he is able to share a story that is much deeper than what other half-time performances have shown.

Once again, Lamar truly shows how the “culture is feeling” with this performance.