Trump jabs to Serena’s crip: All the hidden meanings in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl show

On Sunday, Kendrick Lamar took to arguably the biggest stage in the world as he performed his star-studded halftime show at the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Though Taylor Swift being booed did steal the show for some time, that all changed when Kendrick took to the stage flanked by backing dancers and special celebrity guests. He performed notable tracks such as Squabble Up, Euphoria, and DNA before finally breaking into his Drake diss-track Not Like Us.

Now, after Donald Trump walked out of the Super Bowl, people have noticed the secret hidden meanings behind Kendrick’s halftime show.

1. Serena Williams’ crip walk worked on multiple levels

Beloved tennis star Serena Williams made a shocking appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s show as she crip walked to his song Not Like Us. The viral moment worked on several levels, and to understand them we must first go back to 2012.

Over ten years ago, moments after beating Maria Sharapova to secure the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, Serena crip walked in celebration in a move that was widely condemned by sports commentators and loud-mouthed individuals online.

“What Serena did was akin to cracking a tasteless, X-rated joke inside a church,” Fox Sports’ Jason Whitlock said as others claimed it glorified gang violence.

kendrick getting serena williams to crip walk while performing not like us is nasty work pic.twitter.com/sEGYgkvZcW

— kira 👾 (@kirawontmiss) February 10, 2025

Explaining why the Super Bowl moment was so powerful, one person noted on Twitter: “For those of y’all who weren’t outside, the media tore Serena to shreds for crip walking at Wimbledon. Her coming back to do a dance that references a culture she’s actually a part of, during a live performance criticizing someone for being a culture vulture is *a chef’s kiss.*”

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There was also *that* rumour of Serena dating Drake around the same time, and while neither party confirmed nor denied it, Drake has referenced Serena in numerous songs over the years.

Considering Drake’s ongoing beef with Kendrick, the moment was all that sweeter.

2. Samuel L. Jackson appeared as ‘Uncle Sam’ and the crowd went wild

"Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto"

"Uncle Sam" representing those who tell the Black community how to behave. The dancers forming a disconnected American flag.

The imagery. The cultural significance & relevance. An absolute work of art here.

Kendrick Lamar, man. #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/boVzDd1Wjv

— Casey McGaw (@CaseyyMcGaw) February 10, 2025

Just went I thought I couldn’t be any more excited about the performance, THE Samuel L. Jackson appeared and said: “Salutations, it’s your uncle… Sam. And this is the great American game.”

Often depicted as a tall white man in a blue top hat, the Uncle Sam symbol has been used as a show of patriotism for years.

Explaining the political relevance in 2025, someone on Twitter said: “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. ‘Uncle Sam’ represents those who tell the Black community how to behave. The dancers forming a disconnected American flag. The imagery. The cultural significance & relevance. An absolute work of art here. Kendrick Lamar, man.”

Another person said: “Uncle Sam dates back to the War of 1812, when slavery was still rampant & continued being a symbol of ‘Patriotism’ (Trump calls Americans ‘patriots’ which many feel is code) that people felt perpetuated the marginalization of Black People. Tonight, Uncle Sam was Black.

“America as it was portrayed on that stage was Black, during a time where diversity is actively being legally stripped away in many forms in this country. Kendrick Lamar sent a strong message right in front of the President that we built this country, no matter what you & yours may think.”

3. All of the cheeky Drake nods

Drake watching Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance: pic.twitter.com/Sb93FcFeNv

— Doc 🥇 (@backendoc) February 10, 2025

Kendrick Lamar’s genius was obviously the biggest draw for the halftime show, but the messiest amongst us were undoubtedly more interested in whether or not he’d make a Drake reference. As we know, Drake sued his own company Universal Music Group for releasing the song Not Like Us.

“I want to perform their favourite song, but you know they love to sue,” Kendrick said, teasing the drop of the song several times before finally performing it.

Though Kendrick did leave out the line that explicitly accused Drake of the crime, he intentionally cut himself off in another line so the crowd could fill in the “A minor” for him.

One person noticed: “Rewatched the performance and just realized Kendrick’s necklace……is in the shape of the chord a minor. This man is a f*****g genius, I can’t.”

4. People noticed a lot of Trump digs before the President walked out

Kendrick Lamar dissed Trump and protested the United States in front of him and Trump got scared and left the Super Bowl early.

It just doesn’t get any better than that. pic.twitter.com/lka28aqnOH

— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) February 10, 2025

The Super Bowl being used to convey powerful political messages is nothing particularly new when you consider Beyoncé’s Black Panthers performance or Lady Gaga’s impassioned Born This Way speech. However, with President Donald Trump literally watching it, this year felt much more important.

People on Twitter noticed the American flag symbolism, Samuel L Jackson’s interjections with statements about America, and the pro-Black messaging that ran throughout.

“Trump saw a Black Uncle Sam & zero white ppl on stage & left. That alone should be a Kendrick win”, while another said: “Kendrick really knows how to make a statement, and he does it with such intention and artistry. The American flag theme, the message, the delivery—everything about it is calculated and powerful. You just know Trump is fuming, and that makes it even better,” one person wrote.

Another said: “I hope Donald Trump is absolutely hating every second of this right now because we all know Kendrick HATES that man and using the American flag theme is so genius of him LOVE U KENDRICK.”

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