After the Super Bowl, I wrote two blog entries about it. One was about the game itself. The other was about the other aspects of it which also tend to become the center of attention and discussion, even debate. Things like the pregame (particularly the national anthem), the commercials, and especially the halftime show.
Now admittedly, I expressed how generally underwhelming I found both the game and those other aspects of it tended to be this year.
Yet, one thing that I kept seeing, over and over again, were people who seemed to absolutely loved the halftime show. Some even suggested that it was the greatest halftime show in Super Bowl history, which I felt - and admittedly still feel - was a bit of an overstatement.
Let me admit straight away that it was not my kind of music. I try to keep an open mind about these things, and was actually able to mostly enjoy halftime performances from artists that I was not a real fan of in the past. That includes Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, J Lo and Shakira, the Black Eyed Peas, the Weeknd, and Snoop Dogg.
This time around, however, I tuned out almost right away. It was just that I really did not enjoy the music, nor his voice, finding both irritating. Like everyone else, I saw some surprise appearances, like Samuel L. Jackson, SZA and Serena Williams, but really did not care much.
In short, the halftime show just turned me off a bit, and so I tuned out. It was for a certain audience, I reasoned, and that audience clearly did not include me. For the most part, admittedly, it seemed that many people would likely also feel a bit underwhelmed by it all.
Apparently, however, I was wrong. This year's halftime show drew in record numbers. And as I mentioned before, some people's response on social media expressed their love for the show and for the message. So it seemed that I had missed something, and decided to take a closer look.
Hence, this blog entry.
There was something which I missed, indeed.
Now, the very best post which I saw about the halftime show, and which attempted to explain the meaning behind it, was from a Facebook friend. So it seemed like a good idea to basically put it all here, in the original words (and emojis), and add the link. Here it is, from a Rebecca Thompson (one of those Facebook friends who I admittedly never met):
Rebecca Thompson, February 10, 2025:
Frankly, I "tuned out" the half-time show because it wasn’t my music. It wasn’t familiar. But my FB friend posted this. 👇👇
"For those who are saying the Halftime show boring or hated it: This halftime time show was NOT for entertainment & it’s sadly obvious MANY missed the hidden in plain sight messages. IJS
1. Samuel L Jackson playing Uncle Sam aka the SLAVE house ni**ga) like he played in Django.
2. Samuel L Jackson warning Kendrick to play the game YT America wants us to play and not be "ghetto"
3. The Squid games stage which symbolizes the rich killing the poor.
4. The dancers in Red White & Blue representing the American flag (how many ⭐️ vs whats displayed)
5. The stage also being a prison yard where his black performers harmonized while he rapped. (Not forgeting those incarcerated)
6. Protecting black women like Serena Williams after the disrespect from Drake (Karma NEVER misses)
7. And once again reminding Drake and America "They Not Like Us".. OUR CULTURE IS AUTHENTIC✊🏾🖤❤️💚💛
8. Turn the tv off.. due to the state of the world. (Organize & Unite)
9. GAME OVER signage in audience! Please feel free to RE WATCH, I’m sure there was many other hidden messages. Many want OUR CULTURE & for US to entertain them… WE’VE been doing that for over 400 years, WAKE UPPPP ( In Spike Lee voice) 🔥 🔥 🔥"
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10233195206813787&set=a.1493722354561
Okay, fair enough. It had a message, or rather was a message, urging Americans to wake up to some of our political realities. I heard a number of people (both in favor and opposed) state that it was a swipe at President Trump. It also addressed serious issues, like our overcrowded and brutal prison system, as well as the growing wealth gap in the country. Also, Lamar took some swipes at Drake, which were also seen as "obvious," although I missed pretty much all of these.
So I am a bit more impressed with it than my original response. That said, the swipes at Drake - both SZA and Serena Williams apparently had romantic relationships with him in the past - felt a bit immature, petty, and unnecessary, frankly. Don't know much about Drake, but I don't really care about public feuds between musicians like that being part of a Super Bowl halftime show.
When I get a chance to, it seems like the halftime show might be worth another viewing. However, it still just isn't my style of music, and I doubt that I will ever rush out and listen to as much of Kendrick Lamar's music as possible. I am allowed not to particularly like some music, right?
Below is the other link to an article which tried to explain the halftime show a bit. I preferred the one on top by Facebook friend Rebecca Thompson, since this particular article seemed to "sanitize" the message a bit by depoliticizing it, and keeping it seeming to be a petty bit of infighting between two hip-hop personalities with inflated egos. Still, it seemed worth sharing here, since it did explain other aspects of the halftime show, which I also had not really known and/or noticed myself.
Enjoy:
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, Explained by Andi Ortiz February 10, 2025:
Sports From Serena Williams and Samuel L. Jackson’s appearances to why the rapper is beefing with Drake in the first place
https://www.thewrap.com/kendrick-lamar-super-bowl-halftime-show-explained/
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