“The revolution will not be televised. You picked the right time, but the wrong guy,” Kendrick Lamar shouts to an electric crowd at Super Bowl LIX. While most performers at Super Bowl halftime shows usually focus on their greatest hits, Lamar chose to instead put his artistry on the largest stage in America. And it worked. His performance was highly entertaining, while being politically inviting and truly artistic.
But Uncle Sam was not pleased. “Too ghetto” Uncle Sam says about Lamar’s opening act. “Tighten up!” Maybe the first official song was unfamiliar for a good amount of viewers there, but Kung Fu Kenny-Lamar’s alter ego-is one of the greatest in America, which is why his dancers form the American Flag moving like soldiers dressed in red and blue. These also refer to those same gang colors in Compton.
“Squabble Up,” the second track on Lamar’s sixth studio album ‘GNX’ had performers climbing out of an impossibly spacious GNX car on stage, the type of car Lamar’s family brought him home in after his birth. The track invites the audience to celebrate Westside culture, while reminding us he still has pride to stand up loud and proud, while also getting down and dirty for the people and ideas he believes in.
On “HUMBLE..” Lamar is not only telling the audience to sit down and listen, but recognize the power in artistry. Every breath, word and sway of bodymotion is trying to convey something. His art imitates his life itself as much as he imitates his art. Music has been drawing from Black culture since music has existed, yet Americans tend to look past this.
Which is why “DNA.” is such a powerful song. “I got royalty, got loyalty inside my DNA,” is both patriotic and self-serving while still emphasizing Black beauty.
It’s with the same confidence Lamar raps “euphoria,” the first Drake diss in their now famous rap feud. While there are many points to showcase, the most important is how Lamar is able to find bliss in the beauty and madness of his artistry, rather than elsewhere. He recognizes how many people want him to fail, rejecting him as an American, discrediting him because he’s a rapper, but he still sees the opportunity to solidify himself and his culture into the likes of American homes.
“man at the garden” explains Lamar’s current story and how his choices are a reflection of his past. Rap is not just a job for Lamar. It’s been his purpose since a child. The same purpose is what saved his life from gang violence and changed the rap industry. Simply put, you should listen to Lamar, because he is one of the few that delivers rap in its truest forms.
Lamar then starts teasing his audience with that song. YES, that song. But first, a guest performance with SZA for “Luther” and “All The Stars.”
The opposing colors of SZA’s dark red leather ensemble against Lamar’s blue jacket and jeans mixed with the lyrics of “Luther” alludes to the idea of war and peace within Compton. It also alludes to the American Dream, with the last lines of “Luther” talking about the dreams most Americans have and feel they cannot achieve. But then“All The Stars” reminds us that some dreams do come true and they are the right ones. And as for Lamar, it is clear to feel the sentiment of him having this opportunity.
Lamar sings “You try to rig the game but you can’t fake influence” as the crowd cheers behind him. And then, “Not Like Us”,the perfect championship match for the long feud between Drake and Lamar. The song significance represents a larger picture that has been repeated in the history of America: Those who have power yearn for more, taking it any way they can get it, even if that means pushing others down. Yet, the people rewrite history and always take back what is there in the end. It’s an ode to football, artists, and the game of life. And in that moment, Lamar won.