By Andrea Martinez
“The revolution is about to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy” -Kendrick Lamar during the Super Bowl halftime show.
This year, Kendrick Lamar, was the star of the halftime show, which is just one of his many accomplishments in the past year (sorry Drake fans). From writing the most iconic diss track, “They Not Like Us” to winning a Grammy for this said diss track, Kendrick has been on a roll, so seeing that he was selected for the Super Bowl halftime show didn’t come as a surprise.
We know we’re in for a ride from celebrity guest appearances like Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam, SZA, and even Serena Williams (Drake’s ex). The entirety of his performance was a jab at the U.S. government and, knowing Kendrick, this isn’t out of the ordinary for him. The majority of his music career has been call-outs to how corrupt our government is, so obviously he’s going to take advantage of the fact that he’s performing at the biggest sporting event of the year. After the first song, Samuel L. Jackson says, “No, no, no. Too loud. Too reckless. Too ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up!” The description words he uses are usually words that are used towards people of color when they’re speaking out and others want to silence them. We see it all the time in the media, specifically towards Black women, being called “loud” or “ghetto” and I think that is what Kendrick is trying to highlight by making Samuel say that. This game that he references is the government which is mainly run by white people which is why he is saying to “tighten up” so that this show can appeal to them.
We see after his performances of “Luther” and “All the Stars” which are his softer / more romantic songs, Samuel responds with, “That’s what America wants. Nice. Calm. Don’t mess this up.” This response shows us that the government wants to hear music that doesn’t attack them or that doesn’t have a “deeper meaning” that will steer others’ opinions. But obviously, Kendrick doesn’t care as he proceeds to perform “Not Like Us” right after Samuel says that, while also adding in, “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music”. Just to further explain, 40 acres and a mule is the promise that was made to previously enslaved African Americans after the Civil War to have land and resources to help them economically. Again another way that Kendrick is using his platform to call out the government and how times have changed.
Overall, Kendrick has always been a voice for Black people, Hispanic people, and whoever else can relate to his music. Seeing this performance just proves that he won’t stop his agenda just to satisfy people who don’t care about him. #TeamKendrick
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