Since the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs was a demolition, many people have spent the day after the Super Bowl arguing about Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance. While many people in the Black community found it enjoyable, some Black viewers weren’t afraid to criticize the Compton rapper’s show.
Lamar’s performance included hit records, album deep cuts, and fun guest appearances from SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Mustard, and Serena Williams. He also continued to take shots at his hip-hop rival, Drake, by performing “Not Like Us,” a song several people thought he wouldn’t due to the lawsuit the Toronto rapper filed last month.
But even for several Black people at home, that wasn’t enough.
One person on X wrote, “Kendrick Lamar didn’t have enough hits to perform at the Super Bowl. All of his songs were from this year and no one knows them …. Sza was lip singing and it was bad. Choreo was terrible. Dancers were too slow. Chop. Chop. Chop. He had the worst Super Bowl performance ever.”
Another user added, “This halftime show stinks. Aint nobody trying to hear these Black Panther Party raps during the Super Bowl. They really shoulda just let Lil Wayne and the Hot Boys turn up for the city.”
These users above had the decency to give an explanation. Several people straight-up just called it the worst halftime performance ever.
Naturally, this led to a lot of disagreement on social media, with supporters of Lamar’s performance clarifying why they thought it was so entertaining and captivating.
One supporter wrote, “Kendrick using the Super Bowl stage to spotlight his latest album was a bold move. The halftime show leans on Nostalgia but he showed up with new material, never coasting on his legacy & always looking forward. That kind of fearlessness is exactly why he’s still on top.”
Someone else added, “The Super Bowl halftime show wasn’t just about entertainment—it was a protest, and some people missed the message because they were focused on the surface. What Kendrick Lamar brought to the stage was deeper than music—it was a call to wake up.”
Other people just loved Lamar putting his Blackness on full display for the whole world to see.