A Super Bowl LIX viewer’s analysis of Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show has unexpectedly gone viral, providing a thought-provoking take on the Grammy Award winner’s epic 13-minute performance.
Viewer Opines on ‘The Biggest Protest in Super Bowl History’
In the post that was published after the game, Derrick Harper Sr. – a U.S. Air Force veteran and self-described “Growth Coach” who has 120,000 followers on Facebook and nearly 70,000 on Instagram – went step-by-step through what he touted as “the biggest protest in Super Bowl history.”
He would later express his shock that what he wrote “from the heart and from THE ART,” based on his rewatching of the performance over 20 times, would trigger such a response, getting shared over 142,000 times as of 1 p.m. (EST) on February 10.
From the original post, Harper suggested Kendrick’s message was “ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO CONTROL THE MEDIA AND LABELS WHO CREATE DIVIDE.”
He noted that the performance featured several black performers dressed in red, white or blue clothing, saying it represented America as “being built on the backs of black people.”
“The dancers in Red White & Blue representing the American flag,” he wrote. “Been Dancing to the drums of the system. And we want entertainment and to be able to dance than be educated.”
Harper cited the appearances throughout of Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam, who was keeping tabs of “the rules of the game,” later suggesting it was part of an effort to “create an environment to cancel each other out.”
“The Squid games start which symbolizes the rich killing the poor for entertainment,” he wrote. “Hmm. Imagine rappers beefing and killing and the media benefitting from their deaths.
“And the system is a game designed to keep us dancing and imprisoned which is why it was in a prison yard.”
Harper praised the inclusion of SZA in a manner that focused on her singing ability rather than her sexuality.
“Notice he brought out SZA as a black woman and she did not have to be half naked on display for the world letting her voice shine?” he wrote.
“This is bigger than rap! And women who feel disrespected should see it.”
Harper would later stress that, “People who are tired of being divided should see it. Notice the American flag divided?
“But most of all, those who didn’t have a lens to see it just shows the system has worked and you’re the type it’s been working on.
Celebrating Lamar as “the most creative genius in hiphop (sic) history,” Harper closed his post hoping that something positive could come from further discussion about the performance.
“Maybe we can see more well respected (entrepreneurs) and family men leading for once,” he said.
“Because if you keep praising the entertainers who promote killing each other and degrading our women. I guess America will think it’s OK too.
“You don’t expect shucking and jiving and twerking from an artist who was the only rapper ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. You appreciate ART. And Art is sometimes boring but changes cultures.
“Them: We watch Super Bowl to be entertained.
“Well it’s 2025. The Super Bowl performance goes on YouTube and we can talk about it for weeks and hopefully lead to Unity and Change.”
Kendrick Lamar Continues to Push Boundaries
GettyIt should come as little surprise that Lamar created a ton of buzz with his halftime performance.
Lamar has long been praised for his ability to weave personal narratives with larger societal issues, and as noted by NPR, he became the first non-classical or jazz artist to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018 when his groundbreaking album “DAMN.” earned the prestigious award. The Pulitzer Committee described the album as “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African American life.”
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Super Bowl Viewer Goes Viral for His Take On Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show