ELLIE SKJERSAA / ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

The views expressed in this review are not necessarily those of  The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego or its student body.

During the Super Bowl LIX halftime    show,  in    just   a  13-minute   performance,  Grammy-winning  rapper  Kendrick    Lamar   was   able   to   tell  a  story  of  racial   inequality   and  the  facade  of  the American dream. Through his complex lyricism, intricate choreography and many other subliminal messages, this performance has became a symbol for revolution. Lamar showed the world that art is capable of inspiring change.

As the performance began, a spotlight  illuminated  the center of  the  stage. Here,  each  portion of  the  stage  took the shape of   a  button   that   would typically be seen on a video game controller. In the middle of the  stage stood Samuel L.  Jackson, who  wore  a  star-spangled    suit  and    introduced     himself     as  Uncle  Sam. 

“It’s your uncle, Sam. And this is the great American game,” Jackson said as the performance began.  

Between the physical video game controller on the stage and allusions to the game in which American  life takes place, Kendrick told the world  that to survive in America, you must play into the American dream. However, the game is  controlled  by  those in  power  and has been built with the intention to exclude some while promising success and glory to others. In other words, the American  dream is a game that some can’t win because they are not white enough to be granted  access to it. Lamar does not want to play that game.

Historically, Uncle Sam has been a fictional character and symbol of the United States of America. Typically depicted as a white man, Kendrick’s choice to have Jackson play Uncle Sam illuminated how deeply embedded racism is in this country. Jackson is well-known for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s film, “Django Unchained” in which his character is eerily similar to his portrayal of Uncle Sam. 

In the film, he played a slave who swore his allegiance to his slave owner and even expressed his acceptance of society’s ideals of white superiority which places Black communities in a position of inferiority and oppression. 

Similarly, on the halftime show stage, Jackson paints Uncle Sam as a  proponent of  a system that openly harms and exploits people of color — a system that values capital over the well-being and equality  of its people. Jackson’s portrayal embodied the spectacle and sentiment of nationalism that one may have expected to see in a Super Bowl halftime show, and he demonstrated this after Lamar performed   his  track  “squabble  up.”

“Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto,” Jackson said as the song concluded.

Samuel L. Jackson portrayed fictional character, Uncle Sam. Photo courtesy of @complexmusic/Instagram

This commentary suggests that Kendrick’s music does not belong in the mainstream status quo of a white America. It becomes clear that while Jackson is playing the American game, Kendrick is opposing it.

Lamar’s choice to have Jackson portray Uncle Sam is particularly worth noting because of his history within civil rights movements since the 60’s. After Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, Jackson attended his funeral as an usher and then flew to Memphis to attend a protest advocating for equal rights. He has consistently  used his platform as an actor to shine light on the persistence of racism in the United States and has continuously fought for civil rights. All this to say, Lamar definitely chose Jackson to play Uncle Sam for a reason.

After Jackson’s opening, the camera   pans  to  Lamar   standing  on the hood of  a GNX, the namesake of his most recent album. He opened with a teaser of his song called “Bodies” as the audience  watched   a   staggering and  seemingly   impossible    number of backup dancers  jump out of the car. The dancers were covered    from   head  to  toe   in   either red, white or  blue. This can be interpreted as a double entendre. Not only are these the patriotic colors of America, but they are also the  colors of the Crips and Bloods, popular gangs present in California and  more  specifically, Compton, where Lamar grew up.

The Black dancers in Lamar’s performance were also integral to the message he wove across the stage. Throughout the show, they physically formed the American flag during the song “HUMBLE” and then  pulled  away from one another. This could be symbolic of the lack of unity in American politics and culture or a representation of the Black blood, sweat and tears that went into the formation of the U.S..

With very important leaders attending this year’s Super Bowl, Lamar’s message was intentional and with consideration of those who would be watching. This year, President Donald Trump attended, making him the first ever president to go to a Super Bowl. Lamar took the opportunity to use his art not only as a form of resistance against the recent transfer of power, but also to shed light on America’s racist roots. With an all Black cast of performers and backup dancers, Lamar painted a picture of the Black experience across the stage, highlighting the flaws of a country shaped and founded on racism. He emphasized this point when clarifying that this was a performance with a message, not just an theatrical spectacle as seen in previous Super Bowl halftime performances.

“The revolution is about to be televised,” Lamar said. “You picked  the  right  time, but the wrong guy.” 

Here, Lamar referenced Gil Scott-Heron’s poem and song, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” a phrase which has been used in protests across the world. Scott-Heron’s song critiqued the way in which television advertisements pushed people toward passive consumerism rather than tangible activism and could be seen as deliberate considering the advertising aspect of the Super Bowl. With millions of people watching the halftime show, he used the stage to wake people up and to send the message that the revolution is taking place right now on their television screen. 

Even what Lamar was wearing could have deeper implications  than  what  meets  the  eye. Although  it appears Lamar was just wearing jeans, there may be  more to  the story.  In mainstream media, denim is associated with the whitewashed stories of cowboys or rock stars. However,   denim   has  undisputable links to the African slave trade. 

Both cotton and indigo, which are used to make denim, were profitable commodities that were part of  the crop-rotation  in  slavery. In addition, slaves were forced to wear denim which was then  referred to as “negro cloth”  for its ability to endure the inhumane working conditions. During the civil rights movement, activists often wore denim to symbolize unity and to demonstrate how little progress had been made since the Reconstruction era.

Lamar could have been alluding to the history of slavery in which the United States was built upon. Although messages like these are not directly said by Lamar during his performance, there is an assumption that everything can be interrogated with a sense of curiosity. 

Lamar’s artistic creativity throughout the halftime show reflected the music he has released throughout the years. With songs like “squabble up,” “DNA,” Euphoria” and “TV off,” he transitioned the stage  from  a  place of excessive spectacles and instead to a place of thought, poetry and systemic exposure. Onstage, SZA joined Lamar for the songs “gloria” and “All the Stars,” along with surprise appearances from tennis player, Serena Williams and record producer, Mustard. 

The words ‘GAME OVER’ illuminated the stands. Photo courtesy of @complexmusic/Instagram

He concluded the show with his track, “tv off” while the  people in the stands’ wristbands illuminated to show the phrase “Game Over.” Here, Lamar may be insinuating that it’s time to step away from the distractions of consumerism and to take action, or in other words, to start the revolution.

Every single moment in the show could have an extensive deep dive dedicated to a single dance move, a single phrase, a single flicker of emotion. That being said, there were certainly more messages Lamar snuck into his performance that  highlight  his work as an artist and a musician. Although there have been complaints and criticisms about Lamar’s halftime show, that may have been his intention from the start. People were not supposed to be comfortable because confronting the harsh reality of struggle and oppression some have the privilege to ignore is certainly not an easy process but is one that can begin.

Backup dancers formed the American flag around Kendrick Lamar. Photo courtesy of @complexmusic/Instagram