Hip Hop music and many artists are popular around the world. Hip Hop formats should never fail based on appeal and strong popularity, never. For a few minutes on Sunday evening, the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans was teleported 1,895 miles away to the city of Compton, Calif. Kendrick Lamar, the first solo rapper to headline the NFL Super Bowl halftime show, is well known for holding up the torch of West Coast hip-hop and burning it bright for all to see around the world.
For America’s annual night of God, country and football, Lamar played into fears that he’s too dangerous for the country’s biggest stage with sinister pleasure, making it clear that he would not soften his contempt or his approach for the mass audience.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson opened the show dressed as a satirical Uncle Sam, who would spend the entire set leering at Lamar’s every move, warning not to do anything “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.”
The highly anticipated performance was already the source of some controversy before it even aired. At issue: whether or not Lamar would include his 2024 hit single, “Not Like Us” in the performance. The song, which came out of a feud with fellow star Drake, quickly became one of Lamar’s signature hits, setting streaming records and winning him both the record of the year and song of the year prizes at the Grammy’s. It is also at the center of an ongoing lawsuit. More Kendrick Super Bowl picture here from cnn.com.
Kendrick Lamar didn’t let Drake off easy during his Super Bowl 2025 Halftime show. During Lamar’s performance at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Feb. 9, the Compton-born rapper, 37, closed the show with his Grammy-winning single “Not Like Us” — the popular diss track aimed at Drake amid their ongoing feud. During Lamar’s halftime performance, however, he noticeably did not say the word “pedophile” where it appears in the song’s original lyrics. What’s more, Lamar brought out fellow Compton-native Serena Williams, who briefly dated Drake around 2011, to dance during the performance.
Samuel L. Jackson in the halftime show, explained
Before Lamar showed on screen to begin, Jackson welcomed the audience in, introducing himself as “Uncle” Sam Jackson.
Since Lamar was announced as the Super Bowl’s halftime performer, there has been a heavy American theme. Uncle Sam is commonly used as a human personification of the country and bringing in one of the world’s most famous Sam’s to play the role was an intentional choice from Lamar.
Lamar was dressed in red, white and blue, and background dancers were each dressed in one of the three colors. At one point in the performance, the performers dressed in the nation’s colors were positioned to form a human American flag.
Lamar himself dressed as Uncle Sam in the music video for the song “For Free?” which was featured on his 2015 album, “To Pimp a Butterfly.” Samuel L. Jackson politics- Jackson holds largely liberal views and, in 2024, endorsed Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris during the U.S. presidential election. He spoke at one of Harris’ rallies in Atlanta, where he attended Morehouse College. He also endorsed President Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections.
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