Super Bowl LIX was not only a long-awaited show of sportsmanship, skill, and agility from the fans of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs; millions of people from all around the world fill bars, restaurants, and home living rooms every year with their friends and families to commune, cheer, and cry, whether their favorite team wins or loses. If you’re a hip hop music listener, or you just haven’t been living under a rock for the past year, then you more likely tuned in to see if this year’s halftime show, starring Kendrick Lamar and SZA, would indeed include a performance of his hit song “Not Like Us”.
It is well known that the single – released in May 2024 – served as the crushing blow in a series of diss tracks the artist aimed at Drake during their ongoing feud that began back in 2013. Each of their fan bases have been glued to the battle ever since. The song, filled with the catchy sounds and rap style made famous in the west coast region of the U.S. where Lamar is from, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and continued to return to the top for a total of three non-consecutive weeks, in July and February respectively.
“Not Like Us” was so unbelievably popular, Lamar went on to win a total of five Grammys for the track alone, and was set to perform during Super Bowl Sunday, the most-watched television broadcast in the United States annually. Drake would file a defamation lawsuit against their shared music label, Universal Music Group, claiming UMG was defaming him by supporting the song and the claims against him implied in its lyrics.
By the night of the Super Bowl, there was so much anticipation surrounding the halftime performance that it has now surpassed Michael Jackson’s record as the most viewed in history!
People were glued to their TV sets and Tubi with baited breath to witness what was sure to impress. Would KDot dare perform “Not Like Us” with a lawsuit hanging over the label’s head? Did he care? Was Drake watching? Yes, no, and yes!
Lamar put on a well thought out, theatrical performance; not only did he tease “Not Like Us” so many times during the show that by the time the first verse finally dropped, football fanatics and hip hop heads alike were more than ready to scream the lyrics right along with him, but he chose to use his time to tell a story, a choice that is distinctly different from halftime show headliners of year’s past.
The American Game x The Televised Revolution
The Kendrick or Drake debate sticks out from any other in rap music before, and the excitement surrounding the ‘will he or won’t he’ of it all lent itself well to the show’s theme: televising the plights of Black Americans that still exist today to the largest audience possible. With the 47th president in attendance, Lamar effectively illustrated how, while the rest of the world is still being sold the idea of “The American Dream”, not every United States citizen truly has access to it.
At the start of the thirteen minute performance, viewers at home were shown a wide shot of the football field split into four, lit up main stages. Each platform was designed to resemble the primary buttons commonly found on video game remote controllers – a square, a triangle, a circle, and an X. Lights in the stands flickered in the shape of numbers to depict a video game loading on a screen. At first glance, one might assume that the choice was simply made as a creative directorial nod at football, a great American sports game, but then we are introduced to the first performer. The camera switches to famous actor Samuel L. Jackson standing at the center of the field dressed like Uncle Sam, a common national personification of the United States government and its ideas used in several marketing materials throughout history.
He opens the show by welcoming us to “The Great American Game” and what transpires afterward instead tells the story of Kendrick Lamar’s life as a Black man and rapper creating hip hop music in a world designed to keep the “game” going.
The next shot is of Lamar crouched down atop a blacked-out 1987 Buick GNX (likely a nod to his sixth studio album titled GNX released the year prior), performing his unreleased song – tentatively dubbed “Bodies” – followed by “Squabble Up”. An all Black American team of dancers dressed in red, white, and blue exit the car as he raps, first only dancing with those who match their respective costume color and then together as the latter song encourages, eventually resembling the pattern of the American flag.
Though they were intentionally separated after arriving from the same place, what brings them together again is their American experience; the game being controlled here is not football or a video game, but the Black American experience.
Kendrick comments, “The revolution [is] about to be televised. You picked the right time, but the wrong guy”. There are two parts to this statement; one part addresses the NFL’s choice to select him as the Super Bowl LIX halftime performer given the current political climate of the country, and the other brings the phrase most famously associated with the poem by American jazz poet/soul musician Gil Scott-Heron, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, full circle. Recorded in 1970, the powerful spoken word piece criticized the American media’s role in shaping public opinion about Black American people and calls for those who hear it to actively participate in social change.
Jackson responds to this display by telling Lamar no, warning him that his song choices thus far do not serve “the game” well but have been “too loud, too reckless, and too ghetto” instead. His role throughout the show is to directly juxtapose Kendrick, the rapper desiring to show “The American Dream” as it truly manifests today from the Black American perspective, and the personified Sam gaslighting him for it. Thus, the cheat code to this game is to recognize reality and to live authentically.
Lamar set the tone from the very beginning: “40 acres and a mule. This is bigger than the music.”
For those unfamiliar, this is a direct reference to the unfulfilled promise made to formerly enslaved Black people by the U.S. government after the Civil War. It serves as a reminder: this unpaid debt is not something their descendants have forgotten or take lightly.
More Symbolic Costume Design Choices
We’ve already pointed out the red, white, and blue sweatsuits of the dancers and Samuel L. Jackson’s Uncle Sam getup, but we’ve yet to dissect what Kendrick Lamar himself chose to perform in that night and what the main focus of the look should have been – symbolism.
Following the Super Bowl LIX halftime performance, many viewers zoomed in on his blue Celine Flared Surf Jeans, shared their nostalgia for this particular cut, and then proceeded to flood the internet with videos talking about how they found similar, more affordable ones to add to their wardrobes. However, a closer look above the waistline would have revealed more important details.
Firstly, Lamar wore a personalized varsity jacket, the name of his own creative agency, pgLang, embroidered on the back and other archival sports paneling incorporating things like his song lyrics and the year 2025 stitched to its sleeves. It was custom made by fashion designer Martine Rose, who is known for her unique sportswear designs. The word “Gloria” was added to the front in big, bold letters as well, referencing the final track on the GNX album that tackles Kendrick’s personal struggles.
Secondly, we can’t forget the infamous lowercase ‘a’ diamond chain! Though many KDot fans originally believed the purpose of the pendant was to directly reference the popular a minor line from his song “Not Like Us,” it has since been confirmed by its designer Elliot Eliantte that it more likely was meant to point to the stylized A in the pgLang logo.
A closer look at the pendant necklace strap clearly shows the name of the brand crafted in pink diamonds, and a quick trip to the pg-lang website also shows that the shapes on the halftime stage are identical to what their navigation buttons look like.
Lastly, twenty-three time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams also wore a symbolic outfit when she joined Lamar and SZA onstage. While SZA’s red leather monochromatic Born X Raised jacket was styled with faux fur trimmed lace-up jeans and a matching bustier top by Alejandra LaPilusa, Williams was shown c-walking in a blue tennis-inspired look, harkening back to when she did the same to celebrate her win at the 2012 London Olympics and was publicly criticized for it.
Both Serena Williams and SZA have reportedly dated Drake in the past.
Kendrick Claps Back
Remember how Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against UMG prior to the super bowl over the popularity of his most recent hit song? That’s why many of his fans ran with the idea that his diamond chain that night served as a subtle dig at the allegations Lamar posed in the lyrics. That night was the final boss level moment in a long, drawn out grudge between them. Their game is over now as far as Kendrick is concerned, and whatever the true reason he wore it, it seems he’s chosen to allow the world to interpret his art however they please.
Additionally, it was reported that Louisiana lawmakers wrote a letter to the NFL, urging them to keep the halftime show “family-friendly” just days before he was set to go on. In response, the twenty-two time Grammy Award winner chose to play his critically acclaimed single ‘DNA’, a tune that openly discusses his uneasy upbringing in Compton, CA, and deep, ancestral African history.
Even the slower-paced, more radio-friendly hits he chose fit the theme. During “Luther” and “All The Stars”, the dancers moved in robotic ways as if in a trance, and Samuel L. Jackson applauds Kendrick and SZA, stating “that’s what America wants”. This shows the artist’s awareness; songs like these are popular not just because they’re solid songs, but also because, oftentimes, openly talking about certain historical events is seen as radical or revolutionary. They are easier for the majority of American listeners to digest than ones that are more personal, especially when it comes to Black American musicians.
In the end, only the people in the metaphorical, and literal, “inner circles” survive.
When challenges such as systemic racism, prejudice, poverty, police brutality, redlining, and more continue to continue to persist in American society behind the cloak of The American Dream, it is not difficult to understand why Kendrick Lamar chose to use his platform – during Black History Month – as a chance to reach the greatest number of the world’s people at the same time. Though its greatness and meaning was unfortunately lost on many while live, many others around the world understood and resonated with him and his experiences, myself included. Sure, it was a good PR move for Celine to participate in the iconic moment the best way any clothing brand knows how and to inspire people through fashion, but Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime performance is still trending because it achieved something no previous headliner had. The captivating combination of visuals and spoken word used to tell his story felt reminiscent of musical theater, the switch to “Not Like Us” is super fun to re-enact on social media, and winning a year’s long rap beef on the biggest stage of the year doesn’t hurt, either.
Art is not only meant to entertain but to educate as well, and now that SZA and Kendrick are set to co-headline their Grand National Tour this year, the story they want to tell together continues.
