Charlie Wood
In a Super Bowl where Philadelphia Eagles decisively defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, preventing Mahomes and his team a third consecutive title, Kendrick Lamar starred in a powerful halftime show. His set featured hit songs like “HUMBLE”, “All the Stars”, and “Not Like Us”, infused with political symbolism and hidden jibes.
The overt taunting of Kendrick’s musical rival, Drake, stole the limelight off the deeply symbolic critique of the current state of American politics.
Kendrick’s performance came just twenty days after Donald Trump’s second inauguration, a polarising figure who continues to exacerbate division through his divisive policies and inflammatory rhetoric.
The protest performance opened with actor Samuel L. Jackson embodying Uncle Sam, the personification of American exceptionalism. As a symbolic representation of the American government, the character remained a constant presence throughout the show, critically overseeing Kendrick’s actions, questioning why a man of his status would challenge the status-quo.
The line “Welcome to the great American game”, delivered superbly by Jackson can initially be inferred as a reference to the sporting occasion. However, with the stage designed to resemble a PlayStation controller, it is hard to look past Kendrick’s signal to the audience that those in positions of power are being allowed to ‘play’ with an obedient population. He fears those of influential status dictate and control the ill-informed due to blind loyalty. Many reminisce of a fictional America that was once “great”, falling to the allure of populism, a damming example of the powers of political nostalgia.
He utilises his unique position to speak directly to a captive audience to give the show’s core message: “The revolution is about to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy”. A thought-provoking statement that recognises this is the best time to fight back against the establishment, but not by elevating yet another member of the elite, who claims to benefit the ordinary man. As lights flash and the warning “you’re going the wrong way” appears, Kendrick reinforces his fears of the worrying trajectory America has chosen.
A divided American flag, formed by dancers on stage, was an unmissable metaphor for the current political climate and the divisive politics the Trump Administration employs. The vibrant array of colours represented a country still striving for unity yet under the grip of a chaotic system, a clown car in which the dancers entered. In essence, Kendrick equates the incumbent administration to a clown car, treating governance as a spectacle and thus, playing games with a population who picked the “wrong guy”.
SZA joined Kendrick to perform “luther” and “All the Stars” in an all-red outfit that contrasted sharply to Kendrick’s prominent blue. Together, they further embodied a nation wishing to build bridges and not conform to divisive politics, offering hope for a more united future.
The irony should not be lost on the hordes of conservatives calling for an end to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies, yet were quick to complain about the lack of white performers in Kendrick’s all-black cast. This all-black ensemble, which formed the American flag, served as an important reminder of the nation’s foundations being upheld by the profits of slavery.
Meanwhile, Trump’s recent combative yet unsubstantiated claims the Washington DC plane crash was the consequence of the lowered standards of hiring during Obama and Biden presidencies, amplified racial tensions and politicised a national tragedy. This is a perfect example of the issues Kendrick seeks to expose to the nation watching.
The same hypocrisy extends to those who call for politics to be removed from the sporting arena. American football has become a political battleground since Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest in 2016, sparking a movement that led to Trump calling on NFL bosses to “fire” any participants. However, Trump readily exploited martial arts and the UFC to gain favour with male voters in the most recent election campaign, even appointing the WWE’s former boss as Education Secretary. This lends itself to a poignant question: Is politics in sport only acceptable when it serves Trump’s agenda?
Critics of the performance may contend that Kendrick’s calls for a “revolution” while being part of the biggest corporate stage in America are futile. However, if public figures don’t utilise their significant positions to call for change or challenge the political class, cycles of inefficient or restrictive governments will continue to plague Western democracies.
Charlie Wood
Featured image courtesy of @istrfry via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @nfl via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @potus via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 3 courtesy of @nfl via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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