...
By Marni Rose McFall
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The Federal Complaints Commission (FCC) was hit with complaints following Kendrick Lamar's halftime show, with some people saying it was racist towards white people.
Newsweek has reached out to the NFL and a representative for Lamar via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Grammy and Pulitzer award-winning rapper Lamar delivered a headline-grabbing and highly publicized performance at this year's Super Bowl, which Roc Nation, Apple Music and the NFL later announced was the most watched Apple Music halftime show ever, drawing in 133.5 million viewers.
Read More on News
...
The halftime show prominently featured Lamar's Grammy-award-winning controversial song 'Not Like Us,' a diss track directed toward Drake. The performance featured appearances by SZA, Samuel L. Jackson and Serena Williams and instantly drew viral reactions across social media.
What to Know
The FCC was hit by more than 120 complaints, according to The Hill. Many of these dubbed the performance "racist," due to a lack of white people.
One person complained: "All these people complain about racism and if the Super Bowl halftime show isn't racist then I don't know what is. There wasn't one white person in the whole show."
This complaint continued: "They get away with it but if it was all white it would be a different story. The halftime show should have both Black and white and be appropriate for everyone. This was a disgrace and it gets worse every year."
The complaints echoed some of the sentiments directed toward Lamar on social media. The author Nick Adams wrote on X: "Kendrick Lamar called President Trump a "chump" in his lyrics. He also mocks Jesus by wearing a crown of thorns when performing a pro-abortion rap. This halftime show is a slap in the face of every single Christian and Trump supporter across America."
However, other social media users were huge fans of the performance. Earvin "Magic" Johnson wrote on X: "Kendrick Lamar brought the house down tonight in his half time performance! I loved his song selection and the production was amazing! Sza sounded great and I loved seeing my friend Serena Williams and my good friend Samuel L. Jackson as "Uncle Sam"!"
What People Are Saying
One person complained to the FCC: "I want to know why is it that there was not one white person involved???? I felt discriminated against and why was Uncle Sam Black when Uncle Sam is white?" They added: "I felt very discriminated. It made me feel very uncomfortable."
One complainant wrote to the FCC: "A varied selection of talented performers would have been much better and all inclusive."
One social media user wrote on X: "I don't even care if I lose followers. That Kendrick Lamar halftime show was not for a lot of people and we clearly know why.. If you're saying it was "DEI" or "boring" and missed all messages in the performance then IT WASN'T FOR YOU. That halftime performance was AMAZING."
What's Next
Lamar will head out on a 10-city North American tour, featuring SZA in April.
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines