Millions of people watched as Kendrick Lamar performed in the 2025 Super Bowl LIX halftime show. The show tells the story of Black Americans and their place in U.S. history. Lamar hides many little messages which powerfully impacted his show.
Uncle Sam, who was historically a white man, is played by Samuel L. Jackson.
Lamar referenced Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 poem about Black liberation by saying, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” Dancers created the American flag as a social commentary of how America was built on the backs of Black Americans. Serena Williams was crip walking on stage, bringing back the criticism when she did it during the 2012 Olympics. Mass incarceration was portrayed throughout Lamar’s performance.
Uncle Sam/Uncle Tom
Award-winning actor Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson wore a red, white and blue suit and a top hat which mimicked the outfit Uncle Sam wore . Samuel L. Jackson introduced Lamar to “the Great American Games.” The term “Uncle Tom” originated from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1859 novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” referring to Black Americans turning their back on their culture and communities. Black Americans had willingly embraced obedience to white Americans. Uncle Tom accused Lamar of being “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto” all stereotypes associated with Black Americans and hip-hop music.
The Revolution
Kendrick Lamar speaks of “the revolution,” telling the audience that “The revolution is about to be televised; You picked the right time, but the wrong guy.” This line was a reference to Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 poem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” The poem argues that change comes from individuals over corporations. Lamar disagrees with the poem’s message that the media should not showcase the violence of racism. Speculations of the “wrong guy” line refers to President Trump saying that he was the wrong guy for America. Lamar is known to criticize the President in his songs “The Heart Part 4” and “XXX.”
Serena Williams
Serena Williams joined Lamar on stage and started crip walking.. This is a popular hip-hop move that shows affiliation with the Crip gang. When Williams crip walked at the 2012 Olympics, she faced major criticism from the media, saying the dance was inappropriate and glorifying gang violence. Williams fans accused the critics of being biased and even racist. In an interview, Williams said if she crip walked like she did on stage at Wimbledon she would have been fined.
American Flag
Lamar’s backup dancers dressed in red, white and blue and came together during “Humble” to form the American flag. At one point during the line-up, the dancers all bent forward, lifting their backs in the air. People theorized the move was meant to showcase how America was built on the backs of Black Americans during slavery. The dancers then separated into two groups on either side of Lamar. They formed a divided flag, indicating the political divisions in our nation. Lamar hints at the political divide with the line “it’s a cultural divide.”
Mass Incarceration
The stage that Lamar performed on sent its own message. While Lamar and his dancers whirled around the field, it became clear they were performing in a prison yard. The set was designed to highlight the issue of mass incarceration and the racial disparities of those behind bars. Statistically, black Americans are incarcerated at much higher rates than white Americans, even for the same crimes. Lamar wanted to use this opportunity of being on a big stage to highlight the disparities of the justice system as he does with many of his performances.
