The Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, sponsored by Apple Music, wasn’t boring—it simply went over your head. So, let me fill you in on what you missed.
Super Bowl Sunday is all about strategy, teamwork, and game-changing plays. As business owners, clear messaging and engagement are just as crucial in branding and marketing strategy, just like winning on the field. And Kendrick Lamar? He delivered a masterclass in messaging—one that many failed to decode.
I’ve seen the complaints: “It wasn’t entertaining enough,” “I would’ve preferred Lil Wayne or Drake.“
But Kendrick, a Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper, storyteller, and one of the most creative geniuses in hip-hop history, sent a message Wayne never could.
A Metaphor-Filled Protest Disguised as Entertainment
Kendrick Lamar didn’t just perform; he protested—but this wasn’t just about race or a rap beef with Drake. It was about the people who control the systems (media, music industry, the systemic constructs)—the ones who create division for profit. Most importantly, he did it through creative art on the biggest stage in U.S. sports—broadcasted to over 195 countries.
Now, let’s break it all down:
1. The Symbolism of the American Dream (or Illusion?)
It started with dancers dressed in Red, White, and Blue emerging from a clown-style car, a nod to the political circus we’re all part of. Then, joined by other dancers forming a disconnected American flag built on the backs of Black people, as well as how fractured she remains. However, the performers were interrupted, labeled as “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto” by Black Uncle Sam, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who reminded Kendrick to “play the game.”
Actor Samuel L. Jackson dressed up as Uncle Sam, introducing “The Great American Game.” Reminding Black people of how we once had to behave in order to appease white audiences. Setting “the rules of the game”—the same rules that historically stacked the deck against Blacks.
This set the stage for a painfully real metaphor about the expectations placed on Black entertainers—to conform, perform, and entertain while the system profits.
2. The Game Is Rigged – And We’re Still Playing
Speaking of the stage. The stage was a giant PlayStation because the system is just a game, one designed to keep us distracted, divided, and imprisoned—both literally and mentally.
Kendrick’s chilling line: “The revolution is about to be televised because they picked the right time but the wrong guy” reminds us that true rebellion isn’t scripted—it disrupts.
3. The Music as a Form of Control
The first song was “When I Hear Music, It Makes Me Dance,” a metaphor for how we’ve been conditioned to dance to their drumbeat—valuing entertainment over education, distraction over disruption.
The dancers huddled under a streetlight, symbolizing the “Too Many Black Folks on the Corner” narrative, where gatherings of Black people are seen as a threat rather than a community. This tied into the Lil Wayne metaphor—contrasting artists who entertain within the system vs. those who challenge it.
4. The Real Squid Game – The Rich Profiting Off the Poor
References to Squid Game were everywhere—the show where the rich manipulate the poor for entertainment. Sound familiar?
Think about rappers beefing, dying, and the media profiting off the spectacle. The industry isn’t just about music—it’s about controlling the culture and the people who profits from it.
5. The Drake Reference – A Bigger Conversation About Black Women
Kendrick didn’t just call out Drake—he used it as a metaphor for the protection (or lack thereof) of Black women. His line teasing, “Ladies, I want to play their favorite song but you know how they like to sue”, was a nod to how Black voices are silenced when they challenge the system. Before, he eventually performed the song, leaving out a certain term.
The presence of guest performers like SZA and Serena Williams (who literally crip-walked to the diss track) was no coincidence—it was a statement about the way the system disrespects and exploits Black women.
The Bigger Picture – What Category Do You Fall Into?
If you watched the halftime show, you likely fall into one of two categories:
- If you thought it was boring or confusing, maybe that’s the point. Art is meant to challenge, not just entertain. If you didn’t “get it,” the system is doing exactly what it was designed to do—keep you distracted.
- If you were angry or uncomfortable with the message, ask yourself why. Art isn’t always fun. Art is revolution as Kendrick stated.
Kendrick Lamar did what few artists today have the courage to do: he used his platform to spark thought, not just applause. And that? That’s a marketing strategy we all can learn from.
Happy Black History Month!
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