As all of us know, the Super Bowl LIX halftime show was performed by Kendrick Lamar. In the past, we’ve had fan favorites like Shakira, The Weeknd, Rihanna, and more, but none of those were quite like this one. Lamar is known not just for his music, but specifically for his lyrics. For the past year, he’s had his fair share of words exchanged with another famous rapper, Drake. Most would say Lamar absolutely demolished Drake, which they’d be correct about, and this halftime show was the nail in the coffin.

Lamar is known for his meaningful lyrics and messages, but this halftime show didn’t just have that. He began the show with Samuel L. Jackson representing Uncle Sam, who said that this is the “Great American game!” He was not talking about the actual Super Bowl or football; he was talking about America and its system. That’s why Lamar is the “player” of the game, hence all the PlayStation buttons along the football field. Shortly after it started, Lamar said, “The revolution about to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy.” When he said “the wrong guy,” several viewers interpreted this could very well be dedicated to President Donald Trump, who was in the crowd that night, but it had a deeper meaning. He was saying that this show is the revolution, and if they wanted a nice, friendly show, they picked the wrong guy, which is correct because we know Lamar isn’t one to be messed with. 

After this, he proceeded to play his hit song, “squabble up.” The fans and viewers in the stadium and over TV loved it, but it’s clear Uncle Sam didn’t enjoy it too much. “No, no, no, no no! Too loud, too reckless! Too ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up!” Uncle Sam said, which set Kendrick up for arguably his most popular song ever, “HUMBLE.”

“Too loud,” “Too reckless,” “Too ghetto,” are usually what the critics say towards rap and hip-hop music as a genre. Although it gets its criticism, rap and hip-hop are both a big part of American culture. What do we see after Uncle Sam says this? An American flag, made up of all Black individuals, who said that they’re part of that culture and that they’re also part of America. But the flag is split in half, representing the marked division between races in the U.S. In the middle of that split flag is Lamar, singing his well known song, “HUMBLE,” which part of the lyrics being “Sit down, be humble,” meaning Uncle Sam doesn’t want us being loud, he wants us quiet and seated.

After this, he played “DNA,” another song that adds to the “loud” and “ghetto” spirit that has been cultivating up to this moment in the show. And there, the lights read out “WARNING WRONG WAY,” as in, this American Game is advancing in the wrong direction, the direction that Uncle Sam doesn’t want, because it represents problems. However, Lamar doesn’t care, and plays “euphoria,” another song that adds to the loud vibe, showing Lamar doesn’t care what people think, this is his music, songs, and show, and he does it how he wants to do it.

Right after, he sang “a man at the garden.” During this, we see a street pole with Lamar and his “homeboys,” which all happen to be Black individuals. Uncle Sam isn’t happy with this, to which he says, “Oh, so you brought your homeboys with you? Your old cultured cheat code. Score keeper, deduct one life.” The “cheat code” is Lamar and his friends there, representing how strong they are as a community, which is why they “deduct” a life, showing that they get rid of them when they’re that strong. This line, for some people, was “too brutal,” but Lamar is trying to send a message to all of us, and to do so, he uses some harsh words.

Now, he plays “peekaboo,” and later there’s a pause that says this. “I wanna perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.” To which the dancers respond, “What song?” Yes, the song we all know, and he only played the first few notes to “Not Like Us,” a diss track to Drake. Drake asked Universal Music Studio to not let Lamar play “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl, which would cause problems, hence the line, “I wanna perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.”

Lamar in fact, does not play it, and “slowed it down,” when he plays “luther,” with SZA, continued by “All The Stars,” also with SZA. These songs perfectly balanced his mix between calmer and louder music, which many people, including Uncle Sam, enjoyed. “That’s what I’m talking about! That’s what America wants! Nice and calm! You’re almost there, don’t mess thi-,” and he gets cut off by the “Not Like Us” notes.

Apart from this being a song aimed directly at Drake, it’s also about the rap and hip-hop culture. A lot of people thought he wouldn’t even say his name, but he in fact did. He did the exact opposite. One of the best parts of the show, even the whole night, including the game. While singing, he doesn’t look at the camera, but right when he sings “Say, Drake,” he looked directly at the camera with a huge smile on his face. 

To add insult to injury Drake’s ex, Serena Williams, cripwalked, showing she’s on Lamar’s side. This diss was the ultimate embarrassment for Drake. While watching this, even my parents, who know nothing about football and Lamar, started laughing. 

He ended off with his song “tv off,” telling Drake to turn his TV off, but also talking to us, reminding us of his first line of the show, “The revolution about to be televised to picked the right time but the wrong guy,” and telling us to turn our tv’s off, we don’t have to play this game. And then boom, the lights go out, “GAME OVER.”

This is definitely one of the best halftime shows of all time, especially because of what it’s portraying, the messages, the songs, the artist and just the general show. So, if you don’t think that this is a piece of art while watching the halftime show, you really should’ve just turned your “tv off.”