KDOT's Super Bowl Halftime Performance Hits on Many Levels

Held at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome on February 9, 2025, Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show was unforgettable. With no elaborate set pieces or flashy visuals, he let the music and the message speak for themselves. The contrast between its minimalism and the political commentary made it one of the most impactful moments in Super Bowl history.

At first glance, the stage setup was stripped down compared to a lot of the top visuals we’ve come to expect for the Super Bowl. There were no elaborate set changes, explosions, or people flying. It was just Kendrick Lamar, his dancers, and a groundbreaking performance. And yet, despite–or perhaps because of–this deliberate minimalism, the message stuck with a lot of viewers that night. The presence of Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam, his interruptions and comments, and the simplicity of the staging itself, was all a direct critique of America’s racial tensions and systemic injustices. 

While this kind of social commentary is already a big characteristic of Kendrick Lamar’s music, what makes it even more powerful was the fact that it was happening at the Super Bowl. The halftime show has always been a corporate driven spectacle, often used to reinforce sanitized, feel-good entertainment. Rarely the venue for such political statements, Kendrick Lamar’s performance on the world’s most watched event was a bold and powerful move. 

And then he performed “Not Like Us.” For a moment I genuinely thought they were going to bring Drake out and execute him on live TV. The anticipation and energy of that moment was just that aggressive.