Kendrick Lamar delivered a revolutionary quote during his Super Bowl performance, but the real revolution happened mostly off-camera. “The revolution about to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy,” said Kendrick, words that proved prophetic just moments later when an anti-genocide protester stood atop the Buick Grand National used as a prop throughout the performance. The protester waved a combined Palestinian / Sudanese flag, drawing attention to the ongoing atrocities suffered by those communities. Security tackled, cuffed, and removed the protester but not before they could spread their revolutionary message.
Kendrick and the Super Bowl Protest
Before the Super Bowl, some speculated that Kendrick might take a jab at Trump or Drake. Though his words arguably did just that, they did much more. Kendrick was evoking a famous poem and song by Gil Scott-Heron, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” In terms of artistic and political commentary, you don’t get much more powerful. The rapid silencing of an anti-genocide protestor during that same performance made Kendrick’s point better than any track on Damn ever could.
A TikTok on the subject by @kahlenberry garnered over 209K likes and numerous comments in support of the rapper. While some seemed to despair at America’s devolving political situation, others were more hopeful. As one commenter put it, “That show was THE example of Art Being Revolutionary.” Others seemed happy that the political statement, rather than the rap beef, took center stage. In the words of one commenter,
his jab at drake was hilarious but i need people to talk about this more
Kendrick’s performance also comes after the NFL’s decision to remove the “End Racism” message from its end zones and replace it with the more generic “Choose Love.” With fascist groups on the rise and Trump allies including Elon Musk openly making Nazi salutes at American political events, Kendrick’s message is an important one. So is the message sent by the Super Bowl protester and their arrest, an event largely cut from much coverage of the event, including the NFL’s own.
