Fans work out the ‘hidden meanings’ behind Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance

Kendrick Lamar took to the stage to give us an eventful Super Bowl halftime show, and people think they’ve deciphered what it was about.

The Compton-born rapper electrified the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans with a powerful set, and there was lots to unpack.

One of the biggest shocks of the night came when tennis legend Serena Williams joined Lamar’s show. Fans quickly speculated about the significance of her presence.

A Twitter user pointed to a moment from Williams’ past, writing: “For those of y’all who weren’t outside, the media tore Serena to shreds for crip walking at Wimbledon.

“Her coming back to do a dance that references a culture she’s actually a part of, during a live performance criticizing someone for being a culture vulture is chef’s kiss.”

It also fuelled the beef between Kendrick and Drake due to Serena being an ex-girlfriend of the latter.

Drake recently filed a defamation lawsuit against his own record label, Universal Music Group, over the release of Not Like Us – a song widely seen as a diss track.

Though Kendrick was not directly named in the lawsuit, Universal responded, stating: “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist – let alone Drake – is illogical.”

Some fans believe Kendrick alluded to the ongoing feud during his Super Bowl set.

“Kendrick with the a minor necklace is next level trolling and shithousery. I’m here for it,” one user posted.

Adding to the layers of symbolism, actor Samuel L. Jackson opened the halftime show dressed as Uncle Sam, declaring: “Salutations, it’s your uncle… Sam. And this is the great American game.”

One social media user broke down the potential meaning behind the choice, stating: “Uncle Sam dates back to the War of 1812, when slavery was still rampant & continued being a symbol of ‘Patriotism’ (Trump calls Americans ‘patriots’ which many feel is code) that people felt perpetuated the marginalization of Black People. Tonight, Uncle Sam was Black.

“America as it was portrayed on that stage was Black, during a time where diversity is actively being legally stripped away in many forms in this country. Kendrick Lamar sent a strong message right in front of the President that we built this country, no matter what you & yours may think. That is why this performance was powerful.”

Despite delivering a historic halftime show, Lamar won’t receive direct payment from the NFL. Like past Super Bowl headliners, he performed for free, with the league covering production costs. Instead, the real value comes from the global exposure, which typically translates into skyrocketing music sales and streaming numbers.

Past Super Bowl performers have seen massive benefits from their appearances:

-Rihanna’s Spotify streams surged by 640% after her 2023 halftime show, earning an estimated $88.3 million in media impact value within 12 hours.
-Lady Gaga’s 2017 performance boosted her album and song sales by 1,000%.
-Jennifer Lopez gained 2.3 million new Instagram followers after her 2020 Super Bowl appearance.

Some artists have even invested their own money to elevate their performances – The Weeknd reportedly spent $7 million on his 2021 show, while Dr. Dre did the same in 2022.

What did you think of the show?

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