By: Katelyn Griffin

The 2025 Super Bowl was a big controversy this year, especially the halftime performance with Kendrick Lamar.

The fight between the Eagles and Chiefs came back from the 2023 Super Bowl where the Chiefs ended up winning, but the Eagles brought the fight and won the 2025 Super Bowl.

However, the halftime show was an even bigger topic with Kendrick Lamar performing, with Mustard and Sza as surprise guest singers and Samuel L. Jackson narrating as Uncle Sam. Lamar’s performance consisted of his most popular songs but also had a lot of messages embedded in the performance. 

This was a big topic for many people who are familiar with the Drake and Kendrick Lamar drama. During the performance, Lamar was stringing along the popular song “They Not Like Us” which was a diss track towards fellow hip hop performer Drake. 

“His performance was amazing,” senior Olin Eppers said. “He played good songs but also mixed in so many subliminal messages.”

The messages were what people remembered. “Kendrick making the stage the Playstation buttons and depicting the halftime show as the ‘Great American Game’ was definitely one that stuck with me the most,” Eppers said. 

Lamar’s performance was more than just a regular performance. He showed Americans what life is really like for some of its citizens. “It was like he was dissing America and our ways,” senior Connor Spriggs said.

“His performance was a risky one I would say because instead of a regular performance he chose to send a message,” Eppers said 

Lamar used his art as a way to send a message and many people enjoyed that. He used the Drake drama as a way to pull people in. “The build up to the song ‘They Not Like Us’ was very smart the way that he did it and the quotes that he said were so deep,” Spriggs said. 

Some quotes stuck more than others to viewers. “’This revolution is televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy’ was one quote that really stood out to me,” Spriggs said. 

Lamar’s overall performance was one to remember, even though some had mixed views about it. “People who didn’t like or agree with Kendrick’s performance and the message behind it are just trying to hide from reality because what he showed us was the truth and really had deep meaning behind it,” Spriggs said.