Five-time Grammy winner, Kendrick Lamar, performed for live television’s largest stage, AKA Super Bowl LIX, this past weekend. What is now confirmed as the largest live audience of all time, Super Bowl LIX will be one that will go down in history. Super Bowl LIX was also the stage that hosted one of the most influential Super Bowl performances of all time, also known as “Drake’s Funeral”. The performance featured special guests such as Samuel L. Jackson, SZA, Serena Williams, and a DJ Mustard VIP appearance. Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl presentation was a mixture of subliminal messages paying homage to America, Drake, and glimpses of his personal life sprinkled in.
Play With Fire, Get Burned
I will briefly explain the active beef with Kendrick and Drake. Drake and J. Cole released “First Person Shooter” back in October of 2023.
Check out the (updated) comments under this video, after Kendrick’s Super Bowl LIX Performance.
Breaking the internet with this diss track, J.Cole and Drake, also managed to tip off Kendrick Lamar in the process. This resulted in a snowball effect of the rappers going back and forth with their responses to each other, in the form of unreleased tracks being dropped.
As the saying goes, “Don’t play with fire or you’re gonna get burned.”
Burnt to a crisp is the best way to describe the series of events for Drake after the drop of, “Not Like Us”. Living in L.A. during this time was an absolute trip because you would hear Kendrick’s voice every 5 minutes. Whether it was on the street, at work, on your way to work, at the bar, at your local bodega, on the gas station radios… absolutely everywhere.
Remaining a heavy hitter for L.A. natives and listeners nationwide, “Not Like Us” stayed at the top of the charts for the rest of 2024.
And the cherry on top?
Kendrick rings in 2025 with five Grammys and a super bowl performance paying tribute to the track.
While the internet is calling this series of unfortunate events “Drake’s Funeral,” Kendrick’s participation in this game of diss tracks is one for the books.
Hi There, Uncle Sam
Introducing Kendrick Lamar for Super Bowl LIX is Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as the one and only, Uncle Sam. Jackson greets the audience with a:
“Salutations. It’s your Uncle Sam, and this is The Great American Game.”
Uncle Sam is right. It is the showing of America’s traditional national sport. It doesn’t get any more American than this. But wait, which game is he referring to? This football game? The game between Drake and Kendrick? The game of life?
Sam makes multiple appearances throughout the performance, acting as the narrator to this story. With his sly remarks and quick comebacks, it makes you wonder, “What do you really mean by that, Uncle Sam?” Samuel L. Jackson controls the pace of the show with his brief intermissions, evenly distributed throughout.
Time For An Intermission
When it comes to Uncle Sam’s part in the performance, I think it was really vital having Samuel L. Jackson narrate. It seems as if Jackson acts as a buffer to smooth over the delivery of the message (just in case it is “too loud” or “too ghetto” for the Super Bowl). Not only was this essential to the performance as a whole, but it made it very entertaining.
During Kendrick’s performance of “Man at the Garden”, Uncle Sam comes in to interrupt. I mean, rightfully so.
You may have been thinking it too, but, this song is certainly not a party anthem and certainly not fit for Super Bowl LIX, right? Kendrick is going bar for bar, supported by his crew behind him, as he shamelessly raps his lyrics to the world’s largest televised audience.
Cue, Uncle Sam: “Ohhh. I see you brought your homeboys witcha? The old “Culture Cheat Code”. Scorekeeper, Deduct 1 life.”
After the intermission, Kendrick goes into performing “Peekaboo”, teases “Not Like Us” and brings out SZA surprise guest to duet “Luther” and “All the Stars.”
Uncle Sam pops in again to commend the duo for slowing things down and bringing it back to tempo. Proper tempo for the largest American audience.
Uncle Sam: “Yeah. That’s what I’m talking about. That’s what America wants — nice and calm. You’re almost there… Don’t mess this up!”
Then, boom. Uncle Sam is the one being interrupted this time, by the infamous intro of “Not Like Us”.
Legendary Artistry
Bringing it back to the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, Kendrick walks off with a whopping five Grammys for the single. The icing on the cake, Kendrick appearing on the largest stage on television, sprinkling salt in the wound, and performing “Not Like Us” in front of 127.7 million people. Again, Super Bowl LIX was the largest televised production thus far. There were several subliminal messages and nods to Drake in Kendrick’s performance, some could say, America as well. Giving the world a groundbreaking show, Kendrick showed the world what it means to Respect the Art Form.
Kendrick: “The revolution is about to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy”.
Kendrick Lamar finds balance in his craft. He is able to captivate a massive audience by using his unique talent to entertain, educate, and inform, all at the same time. The world cannot stop talking about how revolutionary that performance was, and that’s because we all felt it. We heard it, we saw it, and we felt his emotion. Making transitions from energetic, hype, and rowdy rap music to melodic R&B, Kendrick gave us a little bit of everything during that halftime show.
Respect the Art Form, Respect the Culture
Regardless of history being rewritten, as it does, culture and the people to represent it are necessary in the development of a society. This is how a team thrives: By understanding and appreciating one another’s unique perspectives.
This kind of cultural representation provides a raw perspective on the current state of our world. Kendrick Lamar shared his story, perspective, and experience as an L.A. native with the largest recorded audience of all time. This type of exposure to an audience at this capacity… It felt like class was in session. Fun class.
We’ve got Uncle Sam over here reminding us to pay attention when things may get lost in translation, and then right back to the music.
We’re dancing again.
P.R.I.D.E
It’s phenomenal how the MC manages to acknowledge our “American Pride,” as Americans, as well as, give recognition to “His story”, as a Black American, with such finesse. The performance is playful enough to keep you entertained, but leave you thinking as well.
While staying true to who he is, with his glimpses of L.A. sprinkled all over body and into his personality, Kendrick embodies what it means to be authentic in your craft.
Kendrick Lamar his truth and remains authentic to who he is, even if it’s “too loud”, “too emotional, “too rowdy”…
He is going to express that. And you know what? The people are gonna love it.
(They did).
Click here, to watch Kendrick Lamar at Super Bowl LIX.
