3 Things About the Super Bowl Performance That Your Amateur Eyes Missed

Before anything, you have to understand that Kendrick Lamar is the most intentional artist of our time, man; he loves to speak in parables and in the same sentence, speaks in layers allowing someone to see what they want to see while telling you his story. Everything he does has a deeper meaning, but has a surface level context to it too. So stay tuned because I paid attention and I'm happy to explain.

1. Uncle Sammy Jackson: Think you just saw Uncle Sam? Look closer. Jackson's character serves as a masterful metaphor for America's complex relationship with diversity. Picture this: You're at a dinner party where the host keeps telling you to "be yourself" while simultaneously handing you a script of acceptable behaviors. That's exactly what Jackson's presence represents; the exhausting dance between authenticity and acceptance that many Americans navigate daily.

2. The Battle Within: Through his performance, Kendrick explains the perspective of perplexed individuals who wants to make everyone happy and while being himself but he's pulled in different directions. One side says, "Be yourself, say what you want, they love it," while the other side says, "Don't be yourself, you're too much, play what we want you to play." This battle is depicted on stage with the performance of the song "They Not Like Us." If you were living under a rock, here's a quick summary of the song:

• Hip-hop has an important aspect called battle rap, which is culturally an art form that keeps rappers sharp.

• Kendrick Lamar was battling the number one rapper in America, Drake.

• They battled and said their piece, but Kendrick destroyed him with the song "They Not Like Us," exposing Drake for his affinity towards younger women.

• The song became a huge hit, which was a phenomenon for a rap diss track.

• Drake got mad and sued his record label that represents both Kendrick and Drake for allowing such harsh lyrics.

• Kendrick, also known as K. Dot, was told not to play the song during the performance, but he did anyway!

All caught up?

3. America's Mirror: The Ultimate Plot Twist; Here's where it gets wild: The staging wasn't just visually stunning, it was a living, breathing metaphor. The choreography painted a picture of urban conflict, but look again. Those same movements perfectly mirror our political divisions. It's like watching a magic trick where the audience becomes part of the illusion. Where he represents how America sees people from the ghetto, as Bloods and Crips fighting and killing each other, he also symbolizes Democrats and Republicans who fight and kill each other, in a different way. All this forms an American flag, screaming "This is us."

K. Dot's Pulitzer Prize-winning brain is his gift in telling a multilayered story in plain sight about himself while also holding up a mirror to us. His story is that of a flawed, confused Black man who rose to the top being himself but was told to change and "do the right thing." Ultimately, he does whatever he wants, good or bad, while being judged by America. Meanwhile, America does the same—fighting each other and pointing fingers while still doing whatever it takes to win. The way ghetto people are seen as evil and uncaring, Kendrick's song "They Not Like Us" shows that America does the exact same thing. Instead of directing harsh battle lyrics at another rapper, we treat each other the same way.

Conclusion: Where you see some songs performed, like "They Not Like Us," it was a masterful work of storytelling. It explains the hypocrisy that is America, told through the lens of a boy from the ghetto and his one controversial song that brought another level of fame. Ironically, the Super Bowl performance of "They Not Like Us" aimed to tell the audience that "They are exactly like 'Us.'"

......Mic Drop.....