02/10/2025
This my last one and im done!!
Kendrick told the story of Black male unadulterated authenticity. The iconography alone was brilliant.
Black men in durags.
Black men in formation of the American flag.
Black men in dreads, and golds singing du w*p.
Black men not presented in a safe lense.
Samuel L. Jackson AKA “Uncle Sam” (The Ring Master), it was at that moment, the characters were set. Samuel represents the “Safe, Performative, Docile” negro. He’s pleading with him to make white America comfortable. Kendrick is clearly the antithesis of that.
Kendrick is clearly in a defiant mood and performs squabble up.
Uncle Sam responds by screaming at him to “Stop being so loud and ghetto!”
Kendrick responds by playing “Humble”
‘Be humble, sit down’. It’s noticeable that Black men are the American flag as he performs this acquiescence.
Then he remembers himself plays “DNA”.
“Royalty & Loyalty in my DNA”
This is when the crowd lights up with the message
“Warning, wrong way”
Then he plays Euphoria. Cries out… “I’m reaping what I sow, okay?!!”
Transitioning into “Man in the Garden” where recites how he deserves it all….the success and the criticism that comes with it. In the midst of it all trying to remain authentic.….hence why Samuel L. Jackson says….
“Oh I see you brought your Homeboys with you. Score keeper deduct one life!”
K Dot then leans into album favorite Peakaboo…I think it’s important to note the line that embodies that song “What they talking about, they talking about nuthin…”. His defiance is evident, even as he realizes the fakeness of it all.
At this point he ushers in SZA and embarks on what Uncle Sam lauds him for performing nice and easy “This is what America wants to see….”
Kendrick smiles in the camera and plays the controversial song that garnered him acclaim….with Record & Song of the year….so the question is….isn’t this what America wanted?!?
Not Like Us is performed. Including the verse that has ruined Drakes entire life.
He then ends with TV off. With the message being
“Game Over”
Essentially telling us the ‘Game’ that is he was expected to play…is over….he didn’t do what was expected…and yet he sort of did.
He literally told us before NLU was performed that
“This is Bigger than the music” and I have people on the timeline arguing about the music.
Truth be told. This performance may not be everyone’s cup of tea. That’s okay. I believe a message was sent to make people, particularly white America uncomfortable. Not an easily digestive show.
He was reclaiming the idea of Black male identity on a white stage. He did that tenfold. In the face of Uncle Sam, in the face of the sitting President who attempted to use Black men to divide our race-in which he was mildly successful in that. Kendrick addressed this with only subtle gesture of someone who thinks before he speaks.
I appreciate a show that required me focus in and peel back what was being done.
He told you that the revolution will be televised. You picked the right time. But the wrong guy. He meant that.
Special shout out to Serena Williams who made special appearance, crip walking- an obvious nod to when she did this after a victory and was immediately lambasted by media for being “To Ghetto, To Black”. Obviously Serena being from the same neighborhood of Kendrick and also shot at Drake.
