On February 9th, 2025, the 59th Super Bowl hosted Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar as the halftime performance. The show contained subliminal messaging and deeper meanings throughout, that many people did not quite pick up on.
In the past, many of the performances were led by legacy artists or pop stars. This was the first-ever halftime performance to be headlined by a rapper, so there was a lot of contention leading up to the performance.
Kid Rock, musician, and rapper, referred to Lamar as a “DEI hire,” saying that he was undeserving of the performance and was only hired for his race. This goes hand in hand with many of Lamar’s albums, describing the African American experience, and constantly having to fight an uphill battle to be accepted within the industry.
Despite the overwhelming cries of hate, Lamar put on a show up to par with many of the greats. It was filled with messages about the state of the U.S., as well as racial stereotypes and division, but only for those who searched to find it.
CSHS Junior, Jenica Brice says, “It was kind of boring. I know there were some deeper meanings, but I don’t really know what it was about.” This has been a discussion online following the performance. Many people do not understand the show, or say that it was not at the same level as previous halftime shows.
When asked, CSHS English teacher Ms. Batson says, “It was great. The show provided a beautiful commentary on how divided America is.” This brings up an even deeper discussion of media literacy, which means the understanding of the ability to critically analyze stories presented in the mass media and to determine their accuracy or credibility.
“With the expansions of technology and how much it has been developed for comfort, we are losing the ability to think for ourselves,” Batson says.
With the introduction of AI and the internet, there has been a steep decline in media literacy among students, but also people in general. One can simply search for the meaning or message of a book without reading it or truly analyzing the writing.
“It did exactly what is needed to; It met the need of its intended audience,” Batson continues. This is exactly where the issue lies, as many viewers of the halftime show were not the ‘intended audience,’ and did not understand what the show was about.
Demographically, a majority of the 40+ white population did not understand or enjoy the performance. This aligns with the timeline of music, specifically Lamar’s career, as a recent study shows that the music people grow up with has an effect on their taste later in life, and Lamar did not release his debut single until 2012. While these people were growing up, rap was not a mainstream genre, so they were not exposed to it.
“Most likely, the ones who are making the parallels, and finding the allusions and symbolism, are the ones experiencing it,” Batson says. The unaware people lack the media literacy skills to properly dissect these kinds of things, such as the halftime show, and instead of looking deeper, they simply disregard it.
However, just because some people were not versed in Lamar’s discography, did not mean they disliked the performance. “The whole show was really cool; I liked all the choreography and stuff,” CSHS Junior Aubrey Vance says, who is not familiar with Lamar’s music.
It is important to have media literacy and understand the basics of subtext, as it has been proven to be relevant in even the most mainstream media. Having the insight into that kind of media is what brings people closer together.
Batson says, “People, and specifically students, don’t want to look for deeper meaning, and they need to. That’s why classes like language arts are often the most criticized, and the most hated, but it’s because you’ve missed the opportunity to truly find those deeper meanings, and you have to put in the work.”
