On Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the lights dimmed in the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Audience members in the stadium and at home held their breaths in jittery anticipation. A good performance was expected from the man who won 22 Grammys and the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, yet not many predicted that Kendrick Lamar would make history in more ways than one.

More than 133.5 million people tuned in to watch the 37-year-old rapper’s NFL Super Bowl halftime show performance, smashing the 126 million viewer headcount set by the big game itself and making it the most watched halftime show of all time. The Compton native — who previously made an appearance at the 2022 Super Bowl alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent — became the first solo hip hop artist to perform for the halftime show. It is of no doubt that Kendrick’s recent song “Not Like Us” and beef with Canadian rapper Drake brought viewers to his show (search up any video of the song’s iconic “A minor” line echoing throughout the stadium and you will understand), yet I find issue with headlines and reviews of the event that seem to focus purely on their feud. Lamar’s performance wraps political symbolism and protest in catchy beats and polemic writing, packing a punch for anyone who can look for the deeper meaning behind his rhymes.

The show opens on an aerial view of the football field and four symbols resembling PlayStation controller buttons. Samuel L. Jackson enters and introduces himself as Uncle Sam, a symbol and personification of the United States or even the federal government. He steps aside to reveal Lamar crouched on a 1987 Buick GNX (alluding to the name of his latest album) rapping an unreleased track as what seems like an endless line of dancers pour out of the car. Standing proudly on top of the Buick, with the spotlight on him, Lamar says, “The revolution ‘bout to be televised; you picked the right time, but the wrong guy.” The iconic line is a callback to the poem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron, which warned African Americans that liberation would not come if they sat back and watched. Lamar’s unapologetic display of Black culture is yet another warning, but to a different audience — the American elite. A revolution will come, and there is nothing they can do to stop it.

At Uncle Sam’s diatribe (“Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto!”), Lamar positions himself in the middle of an American flag formed by his dancers, who turn away from each other and place their hands on each other’s backs. The choreography hides layers of historical meaning; as Lamar sings “Sit down, be humble,” the dancers — whose clothing’s colors make up the flag — literally take a few steps down to remind Americans to stay humble as the country was built on the backs of enslaved Africans. Through the visual division of the flag, Lamar points out the cultural divide and polarization that plague modern American society.   

After a series of some of his harder hip-hop songs, Lamar launches into “Luther” and “All the Stars” alongside SZA, co-star and fellow songwriter. Don’t get me wrong — I love these songs. SZA’s voice was beautiful, and their joint performance did not disappoint. But I was surprised to hear that many, my friends included, saw the two tracks as the highlight of the halftime show. There’s a reason why Uncle Sam praised Lamar for performing them (“This is what America wants! Nice and calm!”). “Luther” and “All the Stars” are soft, catchy songs you can sing along to, but they do not challenge the status quo in the way that his other songs do.

Following “All the Stars”, Lamar performs one of his most anticipated (as well as one of his most controversial) songs, “Not Like Us”, a diss track against Drake. Before he does, however, he drops one of the night’s most memorable lines: “Forty acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music.” This is a reference to Union General William T. Sherman’s order to allocate 40 acres of land to formerly enslaved African Americans after the Civil War. However, when Andrew Jackson was elected President, he rescinded the order, and the promise was never seen to fruition. Although it is easy to categorize “Not Like Us” as yet another display of Lamar’s acerbic lyricism and fiery attitude, he reminds his audience that this is “bigger than the music” and challenges them to dig for a deeper meaning.

Why all the video game motifs? According to Shelley Rodgers, art director for this year’s halftime show, the idea was all Lamar’s. She believes that it is “his way to reach young people” and to tell them the story of his complicated journey “through the American dream.” The gamification of Uncle Sam’s disapproval of hip-hop (“Scorekeeper, deduct one life!”) exemplifies the conflict between America’s mainstream standards and Lamar’s politically charged raps. Lamar’s ability to combine simple yet effective artistic expression with his rap showcases his storytelling prowess and the thought and care he puts into each performance. In a “game” where the American government and elite seem to control the score, Kendrick Lamar shows that he can win while staying true to himself and to his culture.