Kendrick Lamar didn't hold back when it came to various references during his Super Bowl LIX halftime show performance.
The Super Bowl LIX halftime show saw Kendrick Lamar take to the stage in front of tens of thousands of people and 47th President of the US Donald Trump and make an 'incredible amount of political references and symbolism'.
And many social media users are loving the messages they believe link to Trump.
Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam
Lamar's halftime show began with a close-up of Samuel L. Jackson dressed as a character who acted as a narrator throughout the show called Uncle Sam - who also featured in his second studio album, To Pimp a Butterfly.
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During the show, Uncle Sam is a voice of oppression, trying to squash Lamar. Jackson states at one point in the performance, "No, no, no! Too loud, too reckless, too… Ghetto. Mr. Lamar? Do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up!"
Uncle Sam - who Screen Rant reports is reminiscent of Jackson's role in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, a house slave loyal to his racist owner who believes white people should remain at the top - tries to shut down Lamar, but ultimately, the musician continues to perform.
And some viewers have seen this as a clap back at Trump, with many believing the removal of the 'End Racism' sign from being shown across the end zone and the NFL replacing it with 'Choose Love' was to appease the 47th President of the US given his executive order to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government.
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However, NFL spokesperson, Brian McCarthy, told The Athletic that they felt it was an 'appropriate statement for what the country has collectively endured, given recent tragedies,' such as the LA wildfires and American Airlines plane crash.
A Twitter user wrote: "Donald Trump is forced to watch Samuel L Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, introduce Kendrick Lamar at the super bowl half time show after asking the NFL to not show the "End Racism" In the End Zones is the Headline."
"Can we appreciate how kendrick developed his set and using samuel l. jackson as uncle sam. like i fear that performance wasn’t just f**k drake but also f**k america and f**k trump," another added.
'Wrong' president elected
Lamar then opened his set by stating: "The revolution is about to be televised; You picked the right time but the wrong guy."
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With the 2024 elections having just led to Trump being sworn in as the 47th President of the US - well, you can do the math.
A Twitter user wrote: "Kendrick literally protested, and taunted America in front of the president during America's biggest sports event. Chefs kiss."
"Still thinking about Kendrick opening with the line 'the revolution will be televised and you chose the wrong guy' while Trump was sitting right there. Incredible move," someone added.
'A minor'
Dozens of women have been accused Trump of sexual misconduct and in 2023, a jury found him liable for sexual abuse.
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Trump denied E. Jean Carroll's accusations and claimed that he had 'never met this woman', adding (via the BBC): "It's a made up fabricated story by someone looking to promote a book."
He also claimed it was a 'total lie' and she'd been 'going around for years saying this story'. In 2016, one woman claimed Trump raped her in 1994 when she was the age of 13 - an accusation Trump has vehemently denied.
A attorney for the Trump Organisation, Alan Garten told LawNewz.com (via The Independent): "As I have said before, the allegations are categorically untrue and an obvious publicity stunt aimed at smearing my client. In the event we are actually served this time, we intend to move for sanctions for this frivolous filing."
According to The Guardian, the woman dropped her lawsuit against Trump. However, Super Bowl viewers believe that Lamar's shouting of 'a minor' as referring to the allegation.
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Meanwhile, others believe it is instead a reference to his diss track against Drake.
America being in a state of divide
Wearing red, white and blue, there was a moment during the set where Lamar's dancers joined together, closely resembling the American flag.
However, they then parted ways - the split picked up on by social media users as symbolising the country's divide.
"Kendrick creating the American flag and then splitting it in half to symbolize the country's divineness... the amount of amazingly executed political symbolism in this one performance… I'm going to have to sit down with a notebook and pen," a Twitter user wrote.
Another added: "There was 4D level messaging in that performance, for every single person watching."
The idea of America splitting and being led in a bad direction was emphasized even further by the message 'WARNING WRONG WAY' appearing in lights in the crowd too, USA Today reports.
As one Twitter user resolved: "The amount of political references and symbolism is INCREDIBLE and the fact that Kendrick did all that while Trump was watching makes it even better."
Topics: Donald Trump, Kendrick Lamar, Music, Sport, Super Bowl, Politics, Samuel L Jackson, Racism
Poppy Bilderbeck