Leave it to Kendrick Lamar to turn America’s uncle, Samuel L. Jackson, into, well … Uncle Sam.
To start the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX halftime show Sunday in New Orleans, Jackson was elaborately dressed up as the infamous American moniker with a red, white and blue getup. The iconic actor provided the opening skit, “Uncle Sam’s Game,” urging Lamar to showcase what the country is all about.
As the first rapper to headline the Super Bowl halftime show solo, Lamar not only delivered, but brought to life all the social commentary he’s become known for in his lyrics.
The stage was simple, or so it seemed, with an old school muscle car in shiny patent black behind Lamar as dancers in red, white and blue engulfed him at Caesars Superdome. Lamar also made it impossible to bet on his opening song (“Bodies”) because it’s unreleased.
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“The revolution is about to be televised,” he rapped. “You picked the right time but the wrong guy.”
From there, Lamar suggested it was time to “Squabble Up,” playing the hit off his newest album, GNX. The storytelling continued as Jackson reappeared throughout in his Uncle Sam top hat to transition from each act.
Lamar’s dancers created an American flag on stage as he rapped “Humble,” leading straight into “DNA” — two of his biggest hits.
SZA had been announced as a featured artist and the two have collaborated on multiple songs. After teasing “Not Like Us,” Lamar instead pivoted to “Luther” about halfway through his performance, choosing to bring out SZA then. She contrasted Lamar’s blue and white attire with an all-red leather outfit of her own. They transitioned seamlessly into their hit off the “Black Panther” soundtrack, “All the Stars” where SZA was really able to show off her incredible vocals.
Then the beat dropped and sped up, with the opening few notes of “Not Like Us” returning, except this time, the backing track was heard saying, “You really about to do it?”
And then Lamar did.
The crowd went wild.
If you hadn’t before, you then immediately noticed a diamond chain Lamar had dangling around his neck with a lowercase “a” as the music dropped out, with the crowd yelling Lamar’s “A minor” lyric right along with him. Lamar also looked directly at the camera while addressing Drake in the song, shooting a mischievous grin as a nod to everyone that knows the beef there.
As if that wasn’t eventful enough, the camera panned to show fellow Compton native Serena Williams C-walking as Lamar rapped “Are you my friend?”
Williams, the greatest female tennis player of all time, was rumored to have been romantically involved with Drake several years ago.
A moment later, the infamous “MUSTARDDDDD” rang out and the show ended with “TV Off” with Mustard himself on stage to help close it out. The stadium went dark as Lamar chanted “turn his TV off” and lights illuminated in the crowd to spell out “GAME OVER” — which incidentally encapsulated the Eagles’ commanding lead over the Chiefs in an eventual 40-22 win.
Indeed, it was the final nail in the Kendrick-Drake beef coffin. The show was an intricately woven tapestry of petty from the micro level (directed at Drake) to the macro level (addressing societal issues and inequities through art and humor).
It was everything we’ve come to expect from the Pulitzer Prize winner. Lamar didn’t take his opportunity for granted, nor did he take his responsibility lightly. And we were all entertained along the way.
Carmen Vitali is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.
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