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To watch Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was to unpack the political, social, and cultural issues dividing the U.S. More importantly, it was a love letter to the resilience of communities uniting in the name of civility.
Watching the dancers and K-Dot strut, two-step, and squabble up across the stage was like seeing poetry in motion. Best believe the revolution was televised, the symbolism subtle, though at times too truthful to be ignored. Case in point, Lamar’s dancers formed the shape of the American flag—all dressed in red, white, and blue uniforms—but split down the middle to form a gap with Kendrick in the center. The division was loud and clear.
This depicted a reality that brands are also working to solve for, a dilemma that’s rife with tension: How do you support—and not conflict—with the culture? The seven-minute performance laid out the emotional temperature with Uncle Sam himself, played with a flair of grandiose narcissism by Samuel L. Jackson. He welcomed us to the great American game, his backdrop being the stadium floor transformed into a giant control pad featuring symbols of cross, square, circle, and triangle.
Uncle Samuel’s presence reminded us that he’s there to keep K-Dot’s behavior in line, stopping the performance when he perceived indignation—“too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.” Jackson’s character pushed to silence voices wanting to be heard, curtailed behavior that did not heed his direction.
But Lamar had a mission; his vision was not for sale—just check the lyrical receipts in “DNA.” Brands became building blocks for the story, not the main characters. Nike quite literally supported each performer every step of the way as they danced in their Shox. Serena Williams crip walked in Converse Chuck 70s to “Not Like Us,” showing the beauty of Compton culture. Heinz posted about their collaboration with record producer Mustard on its social channels when he joined Kendrick on the grounds. Even Marvel Studios got an indirect shout-out with SZA’s duet of “All the Stars,” a track from Marvel’s first film with a Black director and predominantly Black cast.
