On February 9th, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) went head to head in the final football game of the season: Super Bowl LIX, with the Eagles coming out victorious with a score of 40-22.

Every year for the Super Bowl, Apple Music and the NFL present their Halftime Show, inviting a popular music artist to sing before the second half of the Super Bowl game, which gets fans thrilled and entertained. This year, rapper Kendrick Lamar, winner of multiple Grammys and currently popular for his recent rivalry with rapper Drake, was selected to perform.

However, during this year’s Halftime show, there was heavy debate on whether this year’s performance was a success or failure. Some claim that this was one of the worst performances ever in the history of the NFL. Perhaps it wasn’t appealing to many. Still, something undeniably true is that there seems to be more significance in the meaning of what the show is supposed to entail than the music and getting everyone hyped for the second half of the Super Bowl.

At the show’s beginning, actor Samuel L. Jackson introduced the show by dressing up as Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam is a typical personification used by people in the U.S. to demonstrate the national federal government. The audience is welcomed to the “Great American Game,” according to Uncle Sam. Right after performing “squabble up,” Uncle Sam makes it clear that Kendrick Lamar does not understand how to play the “game” by stating that his beginning performance was “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.” By that standard, what could be the message during this part of the show is that African Americans/Black people need to follow the “game” to fit into society. Uncle Sam could reflect how white society forces them to be respectful, meet their expectations, and potentially “be humble,” which is performed as Lamar’s next song, “HUMBLE.”.

When the song begins, the backup dancers form the American flag before breaking up as soon as Lamar starts to sing. This could symbolize the importance of Black people, as they were also contributing factors to the growth and development of the United States. However, when the flag is split down the middle, it could come to show how, today, the nation remains divided, especially with race-based discrimination.

After “DNA” and “euphoria,” Lamar sings “man at the garden,” to which, after that performance, Uncle Sam says Lamar “cultured cheat code” by bringing his “homeboy.” As a result, he was forced to “deduct one life.” It is difficult to narrow down what the message entails, but it could represent how Black culture in the U.S. is typically exploited.

Famous singer SZA was introduced to the show and is seen sitting before singing “luther” and “All the Stars.” After both songs, Uncle Sam seemed pleased and stated, “That’s what America wants: nice and calm.” This could mean that Lamar has pleased Uncle Sam (or society) by playing more appropriate songs.

However, right after that, the leitmotif of Lamar’s famous song, “Not Like Us,” begins to play, with him stating, “It’s a cultural divide, I’mma get it on the floor. Forty acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music.” This could mean that this song is intended not only for dissing his rival Drake but also as a form of oppression for the Black community against being forced to fit in and not embrace their unique identity. During this performance, however, female tennis pro Serena Williams can be seen making a dance move known as the ‘crip walk.’ Williams’ presence could further defend that this section of the show is meant to continue dissing Drake as she is his ex-girlfriend.

Finally, Lamar performs “tv off” to conclude the show. After the lights turn off, the words “GAME OVER” are lit up in the audience. Since the stage includes buttons from a PlayStation controller and repetitive gaming metaphors, the game-over message could mean that Lamar is aware of African Americans/Black people’s struggles and Black culture exploitation. However, the game is still rigged. In other words, things might not change with the system in the U.S. constantly being against the Black community. All Black people can do is call it game over, but start something fresh/somewhere new that could be better than the past.

While there are multiple speculations about whether some of the things said during the show will be directed to Drake, the Black community, and even President Donald Trump, what’s distinct from this Halftime show is its distinctiveness. Rather than most Halftime shows, Kendrick Lamar brought a message to uplift the Black community. As a result, while it may not have been very appealing to some, it will be noteworthy to Black history and culture.