Decrypting the Symbolism in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

by

Before Sunday evening, Kendrick Lamar had pledged to share “storytelling” during his Super Bowl Halftime performance in New Orleans. True to his word, he presented a career-spanning set that lasted 13 minutes, featuring dancers dressed in red, white, and blue. The multi-platinum-selling rapper and this year’s Grammy Awards favorite wove a tale that mirrored the political divisions within our nation (while also seemingly resolving his feud with rapper Drake).

As Lamar began his performance at the Super Bowl, marking history as the first solo rap artist for the halftime show, the field in Caesar’s Superdome was divided into nine sections, each adorned with Xs, Os, and triangles. The audience was greeted by Samuel L. Jackson, portraying Uncle Sam, signaling the start of “the great American game.” Above Lamar, kneeling in front of a Buick GNX, lights from the stadium crowd spelled out “START HERE”. He donned denim jeans and a jacket with “Gloria” written on the back, symbolizing the closing track from his latest album.

Through this, Lamar and the show’s art director Shelley Rodgers establish a correlation between video games and Lamar’s contemporary American journey, both culturally and politically. The symbols and terminology illuminated resemble the X/O/triangle from a PlayStation controller, with “START HERE” being a familiar gaming command. As the performance progressed, it was evident that the four stages were designed in the shape of a PlayStation controller. Rodgers elaborated on this design choice in an interview for Wired magazine.

Rodgers expressed that he believes the move was symbolic, serving as a means to connect with younger generations. Much of it illustrates his personal journey, depicting his progress through the American Dream.

Jackson, playing the role of a symbol for America, often stood in as a representation of American politics. This was especially noticeable when he scolded Lamar after the artist began rapping his song “Squabble Up” from his unexpected 2024 album. This connection became more obvious then.

Uncle Sam criticized Jackson, saying he was too loud, careless, and rough-around-the-edges,” rephrasing the original sentence that describes Uncle Sam’s unsolicited opinion of the rapper who won a Pulitzer Prize for his album DAMN in 2018.

Two standout tracks from the album emerged quickly: “HUMBLE” and “DNA,” powerfully delivered by Lamar. Extricating himself from a wrecked GNX, a multitude of dancers, all African-American males and females dressed in red, white, and blue – colors symbolizing the American flag – synchronized their movements, leaning, nodding, and dancing in perfect harmony. At one point, they assembled to create an American flag, their backs facing each other with Lamar at the center. The deep-seated divisions within America were poignantly mirrored on a grand scale on this stage.

shortly, a series of lights in the audience formed the message “WARNING WRONG WAY.” This could potentially be a reference to instructions given in video games, the United States during the second term of Donald Trump’s presidency, or the resolution (for now) of Lamar’s conflict with Drake, a dispute that resulted in Lamar receiving five Grammys for their collaborative track “Not Like Us.

Will Lamar sing the contentious song that has led to a lawsuit filed by Drake against Lamar and their joint distributor, Universal Music, over lyrics perceived as defamatory? On Sunday night, Lamar omitted the controversial line from “Not Like Us,” hinting at the upcoming performance of the problematic track, he said, “I’d love to perform their favorite song, but you know they enjoy filing lawsuits.

In “Not Like Us,” Lamar references Drake’s 2021 album Certified Lover Boy, as he raps: “Certified lover boy?/Certified abusers.” At the Superdome, the final word was changed to a man exclaiming. However, Lamar did retain the more discreet line, “I heard you prefer them young.”

(Note: The original line has been altered to avoid inappropriate language.)

Alongside his fast-paced performance on Sunday, Lamar consistently sported a necklace bearing the lowercase letter ‘a’. While some perceived this as symbolizing the logo of pgLang, the company he co-founded with Dave Free, others, possibly overanalyzing (though perhaps not), detected a nod to a well-known lyric from “Not Like Us,” where Kendrick Lamar references Drake: “Attempting to resonate, it’s likely A minor.

Additionally, Lamar was joined on stage by two of his female companions – SZA, a frequent collaborator, and the accomplished tennis player Serena Williams. SZA sang parts from their joint compositions, “Luther” and “All the Stars”. Meanwhile, Serena showcased a repeat performance of her dance routine, which she originally performed in controversy following her Wimbledon win in 2012. This dance move, known as the “Crip walk,” is associated with the Crips gang and involves moving one’s feet to spell out ‘C-R-I-P’.

In the past, Drake has been romantically linked to two women: SZA back in 2009 and Williams in 2015. The relationship with SZA was mentioned in Drake’s song “Mr. Right Now” as a 2008 encounter, but SZA later clarified that it actually happened in 2009. She also made it clear she didn’t want anyone to think anything inappropriate or suspicious might have taken place between them. Williams, like Kendrick Lamar, comes from Compton, California, and is referenced in the song “Not Like Us,” where Drake is cautioned not to discuss Serena [Williams] because he might regret doing so.

In this piece, audiences found themselves immersed in two compelling narratives, with the mentions here only scratching the surface of what was presented. Kendrick Lamar’s exceptional, meticulously-captured performance allowed him to tell two stories, one encompassing a grand perspective and another that was uniquely his own yet significantly impacted the rap scene for the past year. Moreover, he potentially brought an end to his feud with Drake by illuminating the crowd with a final message borrowed from video games, saying “GAME OVER,” which may have been intended for his adversary.

Read More

2025-02-11 02:25