This post is a few weeks behind the swell of cultural
attention, and that’s on purpose. Like many others, at least according to my
social media feed, I walked away from Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show
saying, “Huh?” For the record, prior to the halftime show I knew little more
about Lamar than the fact that he was a rapper, and had a song called, “Not
Like Us,” which I wasn’t sure I’d ever actually heard. With that level of knowledge,
perhaps confusion should have been the expected result.
And confused I was. As I watched the halftime show, I became
convinced I was missing something. Again, like many others, I struggled to pick
up all the words; but the words I grasped, coupled with the images I saw, led
me to believe this was more than the over-the-top celebration of decadence and
celebrity we’ve come to expect from the Super Bowl. Lamar’s halftime show made
me think.
When was the last time a Super Bowl halftime show made anyone
think?
In itself, the challenge of figuring out the halftime show
made it stand apart from. . . pretty much every other halftime show I’ve
watched. I waited a few days, then “Did my own research,” which means what it
always means: I went on Youtube. I found a wealth of “explainer” videos which
convinced me that Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show was probably the most sophisticated
and meaningful halftime show we’ve seen.
For example, Serena Williams was on stage during the
halftime show for less than ten seconds. That ten seconds accomplished four
things:
1. The halftime show is about
celebrity flex. Cameos and callouts aren’t unusual. Having Serena Williams
dance out on stage was a big-time celebrity flex for Kendrick Lamar, but it was
also much more.
2. While on stage, Serena
danced the “Crip Walk,” a dance that originated in Compton, the town both she
and Lamar grew up in. Dancing the Crip Walk was one of several images of Lamar’s
roots, including standing on top of a car at the show’s opening, and hanging
out with his crew under a street light. The Crip Walk alone showed Lamar and
Williams’ heritage, their connection to each other, and two more things.
3. Kendrick Lamar is in the
midst of one of rap’s most famous beefs with Drake. Serena Williams is Drake’s
ex-girlfriend. As noted, Lamar is from Compton. Drake is from Toronto. Having Drake’s
ex dance onto stage was a shot at Lamar. Having her dance the Crip Walk was
Serena telling Drake, “Lamar is my people. You are not.” It wasn’t the biggest
shot Lamar took at Drake during the show, but Drake didn’t miss the message.
4. Finally, This wasn’t the
first time Serena Williams danced the Crip Walk in front of a global audience. Williams
danced the Crip Walk on court after winning Wimbledon in 2012, and received
strong criticism for being “undignified,” and disrespecting the event. The
reappearance of the Crip Walk at the Super Bowl was an intentional tie-in to
the character of Uncle Sam (Samuel L. Jackson), who repeatedly interrupted Lamar’s
performance, chastising him for being, “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto,”
and deducting points from the “Great American Game.” While an overt reference
to the Super Bowl, the real “game” being referenced was the plight of African-Americans,
who are welcome to succeed, even from Compton, as long as they do not behave
too loudly or act “too ghetto,” by doing things like dancing the Crip Walk.
Does this mean I’m now a Kendrick Lamar fan? No. I tried,
and only survived a song and a half; but you can’t ignore the show he put on.
You are welcome to agree or disagree with the messages Lamar sent. I’m not sure
I’m on board with all of them, but just ten seconds of his halftime show
represented a deeply layered and meaningful presentation. That alone deserves
recognition.
