The Super Bowl halftime show can either make or break an artist, often anticipated more than the actual game. While the game was a blow out with little excitement, the halftime show did not disappoint. Kendrick Lamar headlined alongside special guests, SZA, Serena Williams and Samuel L. Jackson. The performance was more than just music, as Lamar told a story of the American struggle through easter eggs in the show.
The backup dancers were dressed in red, white and blue to represent the country and joined together to form a flag. The show’s message was also played out through a video game theme. The stage was shaped like PlayStation controller buttons and Jackson acted as the game leader, who directed Lamar on how to conform to society, and counted his mistakes. “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto,” Jackson said when rap was sung because it is often looked down upon for these reasons. I felt like the setup and thought put into the performance and choreography made the performance.
While he spread an important message to everyone, he also threw shots at the rapper Drake. The conflict has gone on for quite some time as the rappers exchanged dis tracks and social media posts at each other. Lamar won a grammy at the recent awards for one of his disses, “Not Like Us” and the crowd loved the performance. He made eye contact with the camera for the first time as he said, “hey Drake.” The petty banter between the two has led to lots of publicity for both and made the show much better. He also brought in one of Drake’s ex-girlfriends and tennis star, Serena Williams, to top off the performance. I felt that the shots at drake while they were funny kind of overshadowed the message that was portrayed.
Overall, the performance hit all the checks. He not only sent a positive message and a call for change, but he also kept the energy up with high-beat music, backup dancers and the shots at Drake throughout. Even if I don’t like the type of music, the creativity and thought behind the performance made it one to remember.
