On 10th February 2025, 125 million people witnessed one of the biggest televised political statements, concealed as a musical performance. Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 Superbowl Halftime performance was embedded with subtle, yet substantive political symbolism; potent messages which have just begun unraveling to the world. Its cultural significance continues to be suppressed and dispersed.
Commencing the performance, American actor Samuel L Jackson, portrayed the character of Uncle Sam, playing a central role throughout Lamar’s halftime performance. Historically, the character of Uncle Sam features a white American male, draped in the colors of blue, red, and white to reflect the patriotism of representing the American flag and recruitment in wartime. Arising as a character during the War Of 1812, a period in which slavery and discrimination dominated the American landscape, Uncle Sam’s character as a patriot is masterfully manipulated by Lamar. With an African American actor embodying the character, Lamar reminds the world that African Americans fight for freedom, liberation, and equality embodies the true spirit of American patriotism, playing an integral role in advancing the prosperity of modern day America. Enhanced by the attendance of president Trump, Lamar’s re-interpretation of Uncle Sam explicitly attacks the Trump administration’s policies of racial division and the elimination of government DEI programs, reinforcing that African Americans have and will continue to play a role of equivalent importance in constructing the American story.
As a representation of the quintessential American ideals, freedom, and liberty, Jackon begins the performance professing, “Salutations, it’s your Uncle Sam, and this is the great American Game.” The game then begins to reveal itself, as Lamar and his all-black dance team appear on screen, wearing the colours of red, blue and white, a representation of the American flag. The dance crew then begins to form the shape of the American flag, noticeably segregated into three distinct groups separated solely by their difference in colour, personifying the division within the American social and political landscape.
Following Lamar’s opening act, the character of Uncle Sam disrupts Lamar in distress, shouting “No, no, no, too loud, too reckless, too ghetto!” followed by the question “do you really know how to play the game?” Jackson’s proclamations are well intentioned and carry significant weight. Accusing Lamar of being “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto,” in an attempt to shut down his performance, accurately reflects the voices which attempt to minimize and control the behaviors of the African American community, and dissolve any sense of collective history and identity. Lamar responds with his hit track ‘Humble,’ fighting back as a force against the elite classes, proclaiming “sit down, be humble.” Following a series of slow tempo tracks, Jackson then reappears as Uncle Sam, however noticeably in a state of relief, in contrast to his previous state of concern and panic, stating “Yes! That’s what I’m talking about. That’s what America wants; nice, calm, don’t mess this up”. His sudden state of relief is a direct response to the change of shift and tone within the performance, as Lamar performs slow-tempo R&B duets, setting a conservative and ethereal tone in contrast to the intensity of his previous rap acts. Jackson’s state of relief exposes the mentality of the elite American political class, in which African American identity and culture is viewed as disruptive, distressing, and a cause of concern, threatening the peace of America’s society. Conversely, conformity, assimilation, and the embrace of white american ideals provide a sense of relief and control to the elite political class, as the identity and culture of the African American community is eradicated.
As Jackson pleas “Don’t mess this up”, Lamar abruptly interrupts rapping “It’s a cultural divide, 40 acres and a mule this is bigger than the music, they tried to rig the game but you can’t fake influence”.Within his 20 second statement, Lamar explicitly exposes and strikes down the reality of America, a country in which racial division is far from a coincidence, but rather a purposeful consequences of political and social structures. ‘40 acres and a mule’, refers to the post Civil War promise to freed African American slaves under the Lincoln administration, in which land resources were to be allocated in an attempt to aid economic growth and sufficiency for the African American community. Following Lincoln’s assassination, the policy was overturned under the successive Johnson Administration, breaking a promise to curb racial and economic inequality. Hence, Lamar concludes his statement with ‘they tried to rig the game, but you can’t fake influence,’ summarizing to the world, the cumulative message of his performance, that the American story must be defined as one of control, oppression, and continued discrimination, reinforcing the importance of holding its elite political class accountable.
Lamar then begins to conclude his performance, with ‘Not Like Us’. Known worldwide as a track which concluded Lamar’s fight against Canadian rapper Drake, the globally anticipated performance included a surprise feature of 22-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serana Williams. Williams’ short, yet memorable on-screen presence at the halftime show gained significant online media traction, as she performed the ‘crip walk.’ Crip walking is a signature dance move amongst African American hip hop culture. Created by an alliance of African American street gangs in Southern California known as The Crips, the dance move has become a symbol of African American music and identity.
Following her gold-medal winning match win at the 2012 London Olympics, Williams performed the crip walk in celebration, and was met with significant criticism, labelled as ‘classless’ and ‘ghetto’, blamed for causing disruption to the elegance and grace of an upper class white dominated sport. In response to the significant media backlash she faced in 2012, Williams took to the stage at the 2025 Super Bowl and performed the crip walk as an act of defiance and protest, labeled as ‘iconic’ by fellow athletes Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, empowering William’s black identity and the Compton community which both she and Lamar proudly represent. Serena’s crip walk signified a proud reclamation of her past and her identity, in a performance which propels the message that African American culture is not a disruption, but rather a central force worthy of celebration within the American story.
Lamar’s half time performance sets an injunction within the American music industry, in which its platform should be utilized as a space for protest and liberation. His cryptic messages ultimately expose the American story as a game, controlled by an elite political class, which has continually attempted to disenfranchise its African American population. It’s time to look beyond Lamar’s 2025 successes as one defined by Grammy wins and significant streaming numbers, but rather, audiences must comprehend the weight and meaning behind a truly monumental performance we’ve all unknowingly witnessed.
