Kendrick Lamar's Performance Doesn't Matter...
What matters is what we do next
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I know you’re sick of the Kendrick-at-the-Super-Bowl reactions and chatter, but just bear with me. You know I rarely steer you wrong.
My reaction, is to the reactions. And I think it’s an important one.
Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show was, as it is for any artist, a showcase of his talent.
It doesn't matter if someone feels that rap music lacks talent, or is an inferior artform. By definition, it is an artform (or, more accurately, rap music is a genre, one of several artforms within a larger culture — But I digress).
Point is. it doesn't matter if any one person doesn’t understand, doesn’t like, or doesn’t care for what they’re seeing, or, as with the default response for many, they “just don’t understand what they’re saying.”
It is an artform, regardless.
When I watch Indian or Chinese or African or Indigenous or any of countless cultural celebrations across the globe, they almost always incorporate song and dance. I don't “understand what they are saying." Most Americans don’t, and watching such expositions can be quite jarring. We don't speak the language. We're not familiar with the attire or the movements. We don't understand the significance of their outfits or the piercings on their faces or the markings on their bodies.
But, as a supposed-to-be civilized Western culture, reasonable people have learned to appreciate these displays, not as simplistic (or worse), but as rich examples of the breadth and depth of human expression.
So it's a bit… odd… when anyone in America—particularly white folks—continue to offer up such a mediocre critique of rap music. It’s often accompanied (for some strange reason /s) by a childlike imitation of muffled, incomprehensible verbalizations and grunting into an imaginary microphone.
It's a classic mockery, second only to flailing about with devil finger salutes bellowing “Yo yo yo,” as if The Beastie Boys and Rocky Balboa had a baby baptized in a pool of stereotypical bigotry water.
But I digress again.
It's weird because, after all, it's literally the same language! It's been around for 50 years! And oddly, their children seem to have no problem "understanding what they're saying."
It’s almost as if it’s driven by something else… I can’t quite put my finger on it…
But in Kendrick's case, what he’s actually saying, won a Pulitzer. I mean, are these folks under the impression they give Pulitzer Awards for muffled, incomprehensible verbalizations and grunting?
Point is, again, it really doesn't matter what YOU might think of rapping. The fact that it sits aside other artforms in legacy organizations and institutions like the GRAMMYs, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, academia, museums, etc., means that collectively, society has deemed it to be an artform as worthy of critique, praise, study, and celebration as any other.
(And no, for this conversation it doesn't matter if the GRAMMYs “gets it right” or if Hip Hop “needs” the GRAMMYs… Stop it. That’s for another time.)
Fact is, there are many such artforms that any one of us might subjectively say aren't worthy of such revered status. It doesn't matter. They exist, and they are worthy. In the same way it doesn't matter how much any one of us might despise zydeco, polka, or Swedish death metal... Your personal feelings simply do not change what any of those things are.
Same with rap. Deal with it.
“But Manny. I like rap. I respect it. Kendrick’s show was just boring”
Ah. Well. Similarly, for the point I’m leading up to, it doesn't matter at all what YOU thought about the halftime show. No matter who you are.
Kendrick Lamar put forth an artistic, cultural, and political statement, a message-filled mashup highlighting select musical creations, delivering a nod to his most recent zeitgeist-rattling mic drop, with a subversive critique of the very platform he was appearing on and the politics of the country that props it up.
It doesn't matter if you didn't recognize any of that. It doesn't matter if you did, but weren't impressed.
In the same way many only see Lamar’s monster hit song “Not Like Us” as a diss record (and it was), many don't recognize that within it was also a larger critique of social and cultural conflicts.
It doesn't matter.
There is simply no denying that it was there.
The only objectively important point is that, again, Kendrick Lamar put forth an artistic, cultural, and political statement, a message-filled mashup highlighting select musical creations, delivering a nod to his most recent zeitgeist-rattling mic drop, with a subversive critique of the very platform he was appearing on and the politics of the country that props it up.
Was it too subtle? Was it too much? Was it hypocritical? Was it effective? Was it “divisive”? All subjective. None of those questions remove the fact that he did that!
It does matter a little that Kendrick walks a line between activism and hypocrisy. (Though some would say that’s the dichotomy balls a modern protest artist simply has to juggle.)
But it doesn't really matter that by agreeing to perform for the Super Bowl, some will feel that in of itself is a selling out.
It doesn't matter if one thinks it wasn't flashy enough. It doesn't matter if one thinks there should have been more guests, more hits, less dense material…
More entertainment…
It doesn't matter if one thinks the messaging should have been less subtle, more in your face, easier to understand...
It doesn't matter what they think. It doesn't matter what you think. It doesn't matter what I think.
None of it changes the fact that, again, Kendrick Lamar put forth an artistic, cultural, and political statement, a message-filled mashup highlighting select musical creations, delivering a nod to his most recent zeitgeist-rattling mic drop, with a subversive critique of the very platform he was appearing on and the politics of the country that props it up.
The question is: Knowing that, what are we going to do next?
ENOUGH ALREADY?
Some folks think that all the social and mainstream media was too much. Too many think pieces. Too many really bad takes.
It doesn't matter. In 2025, humans love a good reaction, and 2025 humans love making other 2025 humans react. (Especially for clicks and likes.) And 2025 humans keep engaging in it, so it’s just the way it is.
My message is less inflammatory. Less exciting. Less sexy. (Though for the record, I am not.)
It doesn't matter if the message wasn't strong enough for your liking. What matters is that we parlay the discussions about Kendrick into other ways to spread messaging through art. After all, with institutions like The Kennedy Center now under control of wannabe fascists, Super Bowl LIX might have been one of the last opportunities ever to effectively place protest artivism in front of the American masses.
But damnit! Despite what every old-head-Facebook-Hip-Hop-pundit thinks, the interest for conscious, political, social commentary Hip Hop LIVES ON!
Just look at all the people who loved the performance or who thought it was brilliantly subversive. The hope of Hip Hop as a force for social innovation survives, despite the belief of millions that the power of Hip Hop to be used to critique or fight the powers that be, or uplift the lives and livelihoods of its cultural citizens was a lost cause (further crushed, no doubt, by recent antics of folks like Snoop and Nelly.)
In my forthcoming book, I argue how terribly wrong that thinking is. In fact, through all of my work, I argue that Hip Hop has been doing incredible work as a tool for social justice. It’s just that because Hip Hop's capitalistic umbrella is so wide and overwhelming, these things often get lost in the shadows.
(More on that… and the book… later.)
For now, we must not ignore that last Sunday, millions of Hip Hop lovers became reinvigorated. Maybe not as much as any one person might have liked, but definitely not insignificantly.
So we can argue about how subtle/strong/hypocritical/effective the message might have been, or we can take that energy to the next level and share the work of artists, organizations, extremely handsome and brilliant newsletter writers/keynote speakers, and gather them up, along with members of the general population who a) have been preaching this gospel already and/or b) now feel reinvigorated and are seeking their tribe.
OK Manny… I like where you’re going… Hit me with it!
It all circles back to a concept I've been teasing out from time to time, that Hip Hop has been desperately trying to get us to recognize that while music is still at the core of it's DNA, music is no longer the most powerful tool in its arsenal for fighting white supremacy and other powerful forces that ironically created it and then allowed it to thrive — but then co-opted it, and insidiously derailed it from becoming the political, America-saving force that I, and many others, believe it can be.
The music, the protest songs, the viral spectacles, the performances... None of these are supposed to be one and done.
Kendrick understands this. His show was a conjuncture of contemplative storylines coalescing on the least likely — but perhaps most effective — stage in the world.
The question is, now that this particular viral spectacle is starting to fade from our short-termed collective consciousness, what is our role NOW?
Should we continue to take to the social media streets to just endlessly debate each other about the subjective parts of these things that don't matter? Or should we focus on building on these cultural moments?
For instance, I would hope that if you are a teacher, a school counselor, a parent, or in any position of authority over young people, you took this as an opportunity to discuss the important subtexts of the performance, many of which tie in to current curriculum, only now with the gift of a much more relevant and timely entry point.
And definitely not the way I LITERALLY watched one teacher bring up the performance, with that childlike imitation of muffled, incomprehensible verbalizations and grunting into an imaginary microphone in front of a classroom full of young students.
Because as progressive thinking educators have learned long ago, Hip Hop delivers the magic of intergenerational and multicultural common ground.
Politically, this just as important!
If you represent a leftist/Democratic/progressive political operation and don’t recognize the vital importance of spending time and energy analyzing Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl and how it relates to political engagement…
I would respectfully suggest you reach out. We need to talk.
Why? Well, I don’t want to veer off too much, but I do a little work in the progressive media world. There is a great ongoing battle in the world of Democratic and progressive politics, and left-leaning activism circles, about how best to engage folks — young and old, across all demographics — about some of the most pressing issues of our time. Messaging. How woke is too woke? The use of pop culture. The taking of certain communities for granted. Way-too-elderly politicians. Go left. Swing right. Watch the generation gap. Palestine. Lift up a third party. Empower the progressive arm of the existing party. Burn it all down!
It’s a mess!
But I would posit that the most watched Super Bowl halftime performance in history holds a key — IF (and that’s a big “if”) folks are really honest about their desire to open new doors.
So please. Let’s not be tired of talking about what we saw at halftime. Let’s use it. Start conversations about who and what can help us build off of it. If the message wasn't strong enough for you, or if you feel the message was powerful but needs follow up action, gather with other folks who feel the same and talk about it.
Find your tribe, and start focusing on things that DO matter.
(As a reminder, I've set up a Discord server for exactly this sort of thing.)
Now that the dust has settled and we all got our opinions out on all the social media platforms for all the AI systems to learn from (oop!), let's remember what we know to be true.
A rap artist can absolutely still spark an artistic, cultural, and political statement, a message-filled, subversive critique of the very platform he was appearing on and the politics of the country that props it up.
We must help the millions inspired by what transpired become activated and engaged, and not be dismissive of that energy because any one of might have thought it was boring.
One of the most discouraging parts about watching the reactions was potentially the most encouraging.
Many who immediately spewed dismissive, kneejerk reactions, caught hella backlash.
(Including from me.)
After seeing more than a few (including some, surprisingly, from respected Hip Hop culture keepers, and others, unsurprisingly, from those less connected to the culture), I posted the following:
It was really disheartening to see so many academics, activists, and allies be so immediately dismissive of something that saw giving life to so many people.
What I was reluctantly encouraged by was that — some of them at least— updated their takes, giving respect to those who pushed back, and demonstrated that with just a few moments of reflection, or by listening to the perspectives of others, a greater understanding can prevail.
I don’t expect those who most need to heed these lessons will have been won over. But what I am hoping for is that more of us will realize that it’s perfectly fine to give our opinions, but if we are to truly come together to help Hip Hop — our beloved art and culture — help us all, it doesn’t matter what we think.
It matters what we do.
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This was a great read Manny!
"It does matter a little that Kendrick walks a line between activism and hypocrisy. (Though some would say that’s the dichotomy balls a modern protest artist simply has to juggle.)"
I think this is one of the most important questions we shouldn't just ask others but ask ourselves daily in order to strengthen any liberation movement.
How far am I willing to go in order to liberate my people?