MAGA Melts Down Over Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Performance

[SunSeeker]

It was a night of pearl-clutching for many prominent conservatives Sunday night as they objected to yet another hip-hop performance at a major sporting event.

This time, it was Kendrick Lamar, who just weeks after winning big at the 2025 Grammys cemented his victory lap by performing a triumphant halftime show at the Super Bowl—anchored by his infamous diss track lampooning fellow rapper Drake.

Lamar even seemingly predicted the backlash with the inclusion of acerbic actor Samuel L. Jackson, who introduced the rapper to the crowd and later exclaimed: “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game?”

Right-wing commentators Eric Daugherty and Benny Johnson took their criticism to the extreme, describing the performance as “Black nationalist” and calling Lamar a “mumbling pagan Satanic cultist.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-melts-down-over-kendrick-lamars-super-bowl-lix-halftime-performance/

[Permanut]

1. Well, there is a cult involved, but Lamar isn't in it.

[SunSeeker]

2. And Lamar really cleaned up his lyrics for the Superbowl performance.

But apparently that did not register with them since conservatives complained they couldn't understand what he was saying. And yet they were sure whatever he was saying, it was "Black Nationalist" in nature.

[LexVegas]

3. Not just MAGA. nt

[SunSeeker]

10. A lot of people don't like rap, but didn't have a meltdown over it like MAGA did.

The choreography was pretty amazing, even if you don't like rap. And the lyrics were cleaned up for family viewing.

[DeepWinter]

33. DU hated the halftime show

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20012421

[yardwork]

35. The people I was with didn't understand it. I thought it was awesome.

I thought it was a sustained and brilliant push-back to what's happening.

And I don't even understand rap. I loved it.

[Maru Kitteh]

4. I was pretty sure they would hate it. It wasn't white.

Didn’t look like an episode of “Hee Haw.”

[scipan]

5. I loved it when he said like, the revolution will not be televised, you chose the right time but wrong guy.

Here's a clip:

💙💙💙🙌🏻

— Jessi G. Ortiz💙 (@where-da-wine-at.bsky.social) 2025-02-10T02:02:56.911Z

[Norrrm]

6. Now, how can Donald turn it into a DEI problem?

[LeftInTX]

11. Write an EO order banning performances with "political messages" at Superbowl games

[SunSeeker]

12. Dunno, Kendrick just won Record of the Year at the Grammy awards.

As well as Song of the Year for "Not Like Us" and Best Video. Seems he is pretty qualified. https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/entertainment/music/2025/02/06/kendrick-lamar-career-photos/78306886007/

[AZJonnie]

7. When it hit the end of the show with Lamar shouting over and over 'turn off your tv'

I was telling my partner "Wow the advertisers for the 2nd half have got to be PISSED right now. Game is 24-0. Golden Boy Mahomes is choking massively, and here's an 'angry black man' doing the halftime, playing music that maybe 10% of worldwide viewers actually like, yelling Turn Off Your TV. I would wager that a SHITLOAD of viewers worldwide did exactly that. I think whoever picked KL was probably thinking Kamala was going to be there, not Mango Mussolini".

[SunSeeker]

8. Well, you may have a point there, lol. He was picked for the halftime in September.

https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-2025-halftime-show-review-1dc2bce615ebfba0c8af0ea7c3ce4b9d#:~:text=%E2%80%9CRap%20music%20is%20still%20the,what%20he%20did%20Sunday%20evening.

[OrlandoDem2]

9. I wasn't a fan of the performance until a bunch of MAGAs started bitching so I ultimately loved it!

[LeftInTX]

14. Same here! LOL

I'm watching it on YouTube and have the CC turned on and it isn't making sense..LOL

Wasn't keen on the dancers outfits...they were too baggy...

But if Maga hates it, I'm all in!

[B.See]

21. DITTO. If it pissed the fascists off, that's a WIN.

[jmowreader]

13. They probably shit themselves over the Brad Pitt video before the game too

[SunSeeker]

15. You mean this?

[jmowreader]

19. That's the one!

[SunSeeker]

24. Well MAGAts definitely didn't like this Snoop-Brady anti-hate Superbowl ad.

If you read some of the comments, it will make your stomach turn.

[PunkinPi]

26. Doubtful, since Snoop performed at one of sh*tler's inaugural balls.

But things seemed to change in 2021, when Trump commuted the sentence of Michael "Harry-O" Harris, the co-founder of Death Row Records who had served 30 years of a 25-to-life sentence for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. "That’s great work for the president and his team on the way out. They did some great work while they was in there," Snoop told the New York Post at the time.

He changed his tune completely last year, when in conversation with The Sunday Times said, "Donald Trump? He ain't done nothing wrong to me. He has done only great things for me... I have nothing but love and respect for Donald Trump."

Source - https://ew.com/snoop-dogg-responds-backlash-trump-inauguration-appearance-8781366

[SunSeeker]

27. Yes, but they'll turn on you if you say stuff that sounds woke or pro DEI.

This video was put on by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. The Proud Boys and the Nazis among Trump's base definitely did not like it. Look at the comment section of the above video. They basically accuse Jews of controlling the world and rip Snoop for doing the ad.

[usonian]

16. F YOU MAGA. Here's a FAFO flag for you. That bozo you saw is Elon's flunkie.

AND THE HORSE HE RODE IN ON.




https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220007444

Here’s the FACT JACK.
Tramp is only there to cover Elon’s sick social darwinist plan to eliminate all Americans with an IQ less than 140.
Pick your country and means of deportation.

IN GREAT DETAIL
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220008207
Please read, understand and kick.

Morans, you’re too fucking dumb to belong.
I, for one have an IQ of …

[Mountainguy]

17. Mumble?

Kendrick Lamar does not mumble. He's one of the top 5 lyrical rappers ever and you could make a strong argument that he's #1. Dude out there dancing and running around, and still gets perfect enunciation on every word.

I figured MAGA would love a guy rapping about a celebrity being a pedophile.

[Prairie Gates]

38. I wouldn't say top 5, but he's up there. His mic was low or something though

Sound was off.

[radical noodle]

18. It's not my cup of tea

probably because I'm just too old, but I'm sure not going to complain about it. Obviously a lot of people like him or he wouldn't have won so many Grammys.

Why should people expect that all shows have to align with what they like?

[iemanja]

20. I'm watching it now

Seems okay.

I would like to know why everyone hates Drake.

[SunSeeker]

25. In his "Not Like Us" hit song, Kendrick accuses Drake of being a pedophile.

Kendrick cut the word pedophile out of the lyrics he sang at the Superdome, but he left other references, like the "A minor" line. Drake is suing him for defamation.

[iemanja]

39. Thanks

I read that on Wikipedia, but I didn't see that authorities were involved so I don't know if it's even true.

[SunSeeker]

47. 'diss tracks between rappers often include exaggerated truths and unsubstantiated rumors for dramatic effect.'

Here's an article that explains it well:
https://www.nbcchicago.com/entertainment/kendrick-lamar-drake-feud-from-its-beginnings-to-the-super-bowl-halftime-show/3670108/

[JI7]

22. Benny Johnson is a piece of shit

Misogynist low life scumbag. But that shit has so many followers and so many views.

He always comes off as a bitter reject looking for revenge.

[aeromanKC]

23. I have no idea who Kendrick Lamar is, BUT

If MAGAt's have their panties all in a bunch, then I like him!! Wahoo Lamar!! 👍
(I turned the game off mid 2nd quarter and missed halftime show)

[RockRaven]

28. Let's be real, the complainers mostly fall into two categories:

Those who are making a buck because such complaints are their brand/thing,

And those who didn't really watch or listen closely but are pissed that a black man was the center of attention for several minutes -- and part of their inattention was their contemporaneous aggravation at the same.

I don't give a shit about Kendrick Lamar or his music or his rivals -- I'm vaguely aware, neither oblivious nor enamored, I just don't care -- but complaining about the half time show in this manner is pathetic ass-showing. These fucking bigots are so boring and unoriginal. Same dumb stuff, day after day, year after year.

Ghetto! Satan! Noise!

[RandySF]

29. I didn't like it either to be honest.

Nothing ideological. I just didn't enjoy it.

[Paladin]

36. Same here.

And Democrats don't need to be criticizing other Democrats over their taste in popular music. We're in a deep-enough hole, as it is...

[Emile]

30. Let's be honest, that wasn't music.

[SunSeeker]

43. It's music. Kendrick just won 5 Grammy awards, including Record of the Year.

People used to say the same thing about Elvis, then the Beatles, then Led Zeppelin. Rap is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but millions of people love it and won't listen to anything else. And those folks tend to be young and black. They deserve to have a half time show with their favorite music too sometime. I am sure next year it will go back to a more mainstream halftime show.

BTW, even if you didn't like the music, there was some really poignant symbolism in the choreography. Here's a recap:

Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime performance was rich in symbolism, addressing themes of systemic oppression, cultural appropriation, and the resilience of Black culture. The show began with an arrangement resembling the American flag constructed from Black individuals, signifying how America was built on the labor of Black people. The performance also featured references to the exploitation of Black culture, with dancers in red, white, and blue symbolizing the American flag, highlighting how Black individuals have been made to “dance to the drums of the system.”

The stage design, reminiscent of a prison yard, underscored themes of systemic incarceration and control.

The inclusion of Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams further emphasized the importance of protecting and uplifting Black voices. The performance concluded with a powerful message that external entities cannot infiltrate or diminish the strength of Black culture. Overall, Lamar’s halftime show was a profound artistic statement on the systemic challenges faced by Black Americans and the enduring power of their culture.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/377340250247062/permalink/1314292779885133/?mibextid=Nif5oz

[Martin Eden]

31. Even with my hearing aids, I could barely understand a word he said

Early on I caught the refetence to Gil Scott Heron's "The revolution will not be televised" and at the end "shut the TV off" (which I was inclined to do by that point) but other than that the whole thing was unintelligible to me.

If the meaning and value of the performance is in the words, I derived nothing from it.

But then, I'm primarily interested in the football game anyway. I was rooting for the Eagles, but the game wasn't exactly an exciting nail biter.

[J_William_Ryan]

32. "I have no idea who Kendrick Lamar is..."

Nor do I – save that he’s black and performs rap music.

That the racist right has a meltdown because the Super Bowl halftime performer was black comes as no surprise, of course.

[Timeflyer]

34. "Mumbling pagan Satanic cultist" -- a good name for a band.

[Prairie Gates]

37. I saw some guy (close to home) saying he came up on Limp Bizkit, then critique the "musicality"

of Kendrick Lamar.

We're through the looking glass, people!

[Wingus Dingus]

40. Maybe someday they'll have music again at halftime.

[SunSeeker]

41. It's music. Kendrick just won 5 Grammy awards, including Record of the Year.

People used to say the same thing about Elvis, then the Beatles, then Led Zeppelin. Rap is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but millions of people love it and won't listen to anything else. And those folks tend to be young and black. They deserve to have a half time show with their favorite music too sometime. I am sure next year it will go back to a more mainstream halftime show.

BTW, even if you didn't like the music, there was some really poignant symbolism in the choreography. Here's a recap:

Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime performance was rich in symbolism, addressing themes of systemic oppression, cultural appropriation, and the resilience of Black culture. The show began with an arrangement resembling the American flag constructed from Black individuals, signifying how America was built on the labor of Black people. The performance also featured references to the exploitation of Black culture, with dancers in red, white, and blue symbolizing the American flag, highlighting how Black individuals have been made to “dance to the drums of the system.”

The stage design, reminiscent of a prison yard, underscored themes of systemic incarceration and control.

The inclusion of Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams further emphasized the importance of protecting and uplifting Black voices. The performance concluded with a powerful message that external entities cannot infiltrate or diminish the strength of Black culture. Overall, Lamar’s halftime show was a profound artistic statement on the systemic challenges faced by Black Americans and the enduring power of their culture.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/377340250247062/permalink/1314292779885133/?mibextid=Nif5oz

[milestogo]

42. TBH I couldn't understand the words.

[SunSeeker]

44. He raps really fast. I need closed caption to get everything he's saying.

And even then, I don't get all the slang or "inside joke" type references. But I'm old. The kids with their young ears understand it and love it.

[milestogo]

46. I had closed caption on but it was going by really fast and I just didn't get it.

[Alice B.]

45. As a white woman, I know it wasn't created "for me" but it's art which is an invitation for all of us to sit, think, and

...learn.

Post by @senkforeversmiles

View on Threads

?xmt=AQGzmHjyty1WogxVLQ2IBDwy4ZVh-vPzVszHVHSMlbPCeg" target="_blank">Here's one explainer from Threads of all the symbolism.

As music for pure enjoyment, it wasn't my thing either but it forced me to look things up and read through posts from Black users on Bluesky and Threads. That was good for me and I appreciated it. There were some serious layers and that performance was a real act of defiance.