To be read as a direct continuation of; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2025/02/its-time-to-renegotiate-social-contract_19.html
Then the Half-Time Show began.
It started with a light display. This showed a pair of parallel horizontal lines and a pair of parallel vertical lines creating a simple grid pattern. Rather like the grid pattern layout William Penn insisted upon when he established Philadelphia. Within that grid flashed a; "X" shape, and "O" shape, a; "⬜" shape and a; "△" shape.
To give it its proper name American Football is actually known as; "Gridiron Football." The pitch is divided into squares using this grid pattern. When play stops it restarts from the grid-square it was stopped in. When illustrating tactical plays to the team coaches often use a small map of the pitch with X's and O's to indicate the players.
So this light display sequence was a reference to Gridiron Football as; "America's Game." Although it also closely resembled that very simple children's game which, in the US is, known as; "Tic Tac Toe" and elsewhere as; "Noughts & Crosses." In order to highlight that the Super Bowl, as America's game, is rather simple when compared to Europe's equivalent game, the Eurovision Song Contest.
In case that wasn't obvious we then had Samuel L. Jackson making his first appearance as narrator. Welcoming us to America's game. Samuel L. Jackson was dressed as the; "Uncle Sam" character, the personification of America. The Super Bowl is a speech to a nation while the Eurovision Song Contest is a conversation between nations. When the Super Bowl addresses things going on in countries which aren't America it can feel a bit like an American dictator shouting at nations who have no right of reply. Samuel L. Jackson's narrator was the personification of America shouting at people.
Aside from the Uncle Sam costume Samuel L. Jackson was reprising his role of; "Dolemedes." The narrator of the 2015 Spike Lee movie; "Chi-Raq." This tells the story of a Chicago which is being torn apart by fighting between two rival street gangs. The Spartans and the Trojans. The title being a play on; "Chicago" and; "Iraq" inspired by the worrying statistic that more American men were being killed in street gang warfare than American Special Operations Force (SOF) soldiers were being killed in America's formal war in Iraq.
In an effort to stop the bloodshed Teyonah Parris' "Lysistrata" organises a sex strike. The women of Chicago refuse to have sex with the men of Chicago until the men of Chicago end the war. She is inspired by Leymah Gbowee who threatened a similar sex strike to end the Second Liberian Civil War (1999-2003). By which I mean there is a scene in the movie where Lysistrata visits Angela Bassett's "Miss Angela Worthy" character who tells her about Leymah Gbowee's efforts to end the Second Liberian Civil War.
The Second Liberian Civil War was almost immediately preceded by the First Liberian Civil War (1989-1997). The end of The Cold War (1945-1991) saw the US withdraw support for the Dictatorship of Samuel Doe's United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO). This allowed Charles's Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) to overthrow Doe's government. This triggered a multi-sided civil war between the Liberian Armed Forces, ULIMO, the NPFL and the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL), a NPFL splinter group. Charles Taylor's faction finally emerged victorious in 1997.
In 1999 the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) took up arms against the Charles Taylor government. As did the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL). Charles Taylor was forced from office and fled the country in 2003, a transitional government was put in place and a democratically elected government was formed in 2005.
Both the First and Second Liberian Civil Wars were marked by some of the most appalling behaviour imaginable. All sides not only engaged in Slavery but Child Slavery. As a matter of routine tens of thousands of children were kidnapped into Slavery, deliberately addicted to drugs like Crack Cocaine and put to use as soldiers. Completely untrained Crack addicted, traumatised children being given AK-47's and machetes then being sent to kill each other produced absolutely sickening violence. Sexual Violence and Sexual Slavery became a legitimate tactic of all sides. Not just against women and girls but also against men and boys.
Charles Taylor was not content with inflicting that sort of horror on Liberia. He also inflicted it on neighbouring Sierra Leone. Supporting the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in the Sierra Leonean Civil War (1991-2002).
Describing the conflict which occurred in Sierra Leone between 1991 and 2003 as civil war or any sort of war is really over formalising it. The fighting was not between disciplined armies trained in the Laws of War. It was between groups of drug addled, traumatised Child Slaves for control over Sierra Leone's Diamond mines. Something closer to how street gangs would battle each other for control of the drugs trade in an American inner-city like Chicago. One of the groups involved called themselves the; "West Side Niggaz," heavily influenced by American Hip-Hop/Rap culture. The only difference being that there was no government, no police, no parents. Absolutely no-one to stop them.
Eventually Charles Taylor was held accountable for his crimes. In 2012 he was convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) - its Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) division - of 5 counts of War Crimes and 5 counts of Crimes Against Humanity under the Rome Statute (1998). Specifically Murder contrary to Article 7.1(a), Rape and Sexual Slavery contrary to Article 7.1(g), Slavery contrary to Article 7.1(b) and Other Inhumane Acts contrary to Article 7.1(k).
Charles Taylor's conviction is hugely significant in International Humanitarian Law as it established a number of important precedents.
The first of these dealt with the legal principle of; "Sovereign Immunity." In Leviathan John Hobbes argued that the Sovereign should be all powerful, there should be no restrictions on its power. It is immune from the power of the Courts.
Eventually Britain decided that it wanted its Sovereign to be a Parliament. Within Britain the principle of Sovereign Immunity is more commonly referred to as; "Parliamentary Privilege." The Courts and the Police have no authority over Parliament and Members of Parliament (MP's). Even today a British MP could murder someone and there's nothing the British Police or the British Courts could do about it. Until the British Parliament gave the Police and the Courts permission to do something about it.
America decided that it wanted its Sovereign to be a President. So in America they talk about Sovereign Immunity in terms of; "Presidential Immunity." The current President Trump certainly likes to talk about it a lot. A US President cannot be held criminally liable for official actions carried out as President. A sitting US President cannot be arrested by the Police or brought before the Courts on any matter until Congress gives its permission. In the form of Impeachment. Likewise the President can't dismiss Judges or members of Congress, the other two branches of America's chosen Sovereign.
Within International Law the principle of Sovereign Immunity is most often referred to as; "Diplomatic Immunity." The Police and Courts of a host country cannot interfere with someone who has diplomatic status conveyed upon them by the chosen Sovereign power in their own country. Under International Law the United Nations (UN) is considered a Sovereign entity. It has the power to convey Sovereign Immunity onto its staff, such as the current Secretary-General Antonio Guterres or Philippe Lazzarrini, the current head of the UN's Relief Works Agency (UNRWA).
Charles Taylor obviously argued that as President of Liberia he had Sovereign Immunity so couldn't be held accountable by the ICC. The Rome Statute (1998) establishes the UN General Assembly (UNGA), through its Security Council (UNSC), as the Supreme Sovereign entity allowing it to strip even Presidents of Sovereign Immunity. The conviction of Charles Taylor was the first time that ever happened in practice.
Charles Taylor was never accused of murdering, raping or enslaving anyone himself, although he probably did. Charles Taylor was not even accused of ordering others to commits murders, rapes or enslavement, the legal principle of; "Controlling Mind." Instead Charles Taylor was accused of Aiding & Abetting, providing both material and political support for those he knew were committing Crimes Against Humanity. In his defence Charles Taylor argued that he was merely providing; "Humanitarian Aid" in the form of food aid and medical aid.
Under International Humanitarian Law, Customary Laws of War rule 55, "Humanitarian Aid" is defined as; "relief for civilians which is impartial and without adverse distinction." By definition any crime be it a War Crime or a Crime Against Humanity is adverse. So any support given to those committing War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity is not "Humanitarian Aid." It is Aiding & Abetting those War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.
Charles Taylor's conviction established that Aiding & Abetting Crimes Against Humanity is the committing of Crimes Against Humanity.
In both instances the ICC was only interpreting the laws as intended and written. Its ruling established the precedent in case law and Charles Taylor's failed appeals confirmed the precedents. It is now a matter of Settled Law. Sovereign Immunity does not exist for Crimes Against Humanity and giving political or material aid to those committing Crimes Against Humanity is the committing of those Crimes Against Humanity.
The Charles Taylor case is particularly relevant to the current war that the Muslim Brotherhood's Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) has imposed on Israel. While the ICC has seemed inexplicably hesitant to test the issue there is an exceedingly strong prima facie case that Hamas is committing and continues to commit Crimes Against Humanity.
Specifically; Murder contrary to Article 7.1(a), Extermination contrary to Article 7.1(b)(h), Enforced Disappearance contrary to Article 7.1(i), Imprisonment contrary to Article 7.1(e) and Other Inhumane Acts contrary to Article 7.1(k). All of the Rome Statue (1998). Against both Israelis and Palestinians. Along with numerous of War Crimes. most notably Perfidy contrary to Customary Laws of War rule 65 and Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.
The Charles Taylor case establishes as Settled Law that anyone such as UN Secretary-General Guterres or UNRWA head Lazzarrini who offers material support to Hamas or calls for Hamas to be protected by a ceasefire is committing those Crimes Against Humanity. Sovereign Immunity does not exist for Crimes Against Humanity so both Guterres, Lazzarrini et al should expect to be subject to arrest and prosecution by the ICC. The customary penalty is 50 years imprisonment. Although Britain now seems to view that as less serious than one Rwandan attacking one Taylor Swift themed dance party.
A key figure in bringing Charles Taylor to justice and establishing these precedents was the, somewhat famous, South African lawyer Nelson Mandela.
At one point Nelson Mandela set Charles Taylor up on a date with the British Supermodel Naomi Campbell. In an effort to impress her Charles Taylor gifted her one of Sierra Leone's stolen Diamonds. Nelson Mandela took that Diamond and held onto it, until he could introduce it as evidence at Charles Taylor's trial before the ICC. That was one of the first times I collaborated with Jay Z and Kanye West. Although the three of us were only playing much smaller roles. Amid a cast of millions.
South Africa is still, understandably, rather proud of Nelson Mandela. So as with attempts to hold a Eurovision Song Contest in 2024 I really don't think the CIA has understood South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), under the Genocide Convention of 1948.
One of the first things the CIA should have noticed is that South Africa brought the case to the ICJ rather than the ICC. Very much respecting the concept of Sovereign Immunity ICJ's rulings are not binding. Their only effect comes from the informal Social Contract between the parties that they will abide by the ruling.
It is also well established that Criminal Law takes precedence over Civil Law. The burden of proof in Criminal Law is; "Beyond all reasonable doubt" while in Civil Law it is; "On the balance of probabilities." Essentially in Criminal cases you have to be 99% sure while in Civil cases you only need to be 51% sure. South Africa taking the matter to a Civil Court could well be interpreted as them saying they don't think there is a Criminal case for Israel to answer.
The type of conflict which befell Sierra Leone between 1991 and 2003 is one which has long plagued resource rich nations across the entire continent of Africa. I'm sure we're all familiar with the European Colonial Era. In which European nations simply invaded resource rich African nations and stole their resources. Including people.
What people might be less familiar with is the Neo-Colonial Era which followed. This saw Western nations, Europe plus America, funding different factions in resources rich nations to fight each other in order to make them poorer. Then exploiting that poverty to force them to sell their resources at far below market rate. At the time I'm writing this the Wikipedia page for the Sierra Leonean Civil War lists it as a victory for the UK Commonwealth. The successor to the UK Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone.
This is a particular long-term and ongoing problem in the very resource rich Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where more than it's possible to list, over 100, essentially street gangs, have long fought each other for, predominately Rare Earth Minerals. With China being the penholder at the UN for the issue it seems to have particularly flared up as we enter 2025. Watching US President Trump and Vlodomyr Zelenskyy argue over Ukraine's Rare Earth Minerals certainly gives me the impression of two men who are hopelessly out of their depth.
African-led efforts to free the continent from this type of conflict has led to a lot of friction with the ICC. While the ICC was the best that could be achieved at the time it still needs a lot of work before it can truly be considered a credible Court. The problem a lot of African nations have is that the ICC seems able to prosecute Africans like Charles Taylor who are responsible for these type of conflicts. Yet is powerless to go after the citizens of wealthy nations who are truly responsible.
So South Africa bringing its case against Israel at the ICJ could well be interpreted as South Africa highlighting that it is corruption rather than the Rule of Law which still dominates the international justice system, particularly at the ICC. Some of the ICJ Judges such as the American one and ones who've actually worked with Nelson Mandela certainly seem to be playing along with the protest. The 13 South African troops who were recently killed in the DRC suggests a retaliation.
As part of his warm-up Nelson Mandela brought an end to the Apartheid system of racial Segregation in South Africa. He then replaced it with a complex, multi-racial democracy. Britain boasts about its racial diversity, South Africa has 12 official languages.
Ever since then Nelson Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) party has been in power in South Africa. This lack of true democracy has, unfortunately, led to them becoming rather corrupt. No modern South African President has been accused of invading its neighbours to try and steal their resources. However a fair few of them have been accused of trying to steal South Africa's resources. Rather like the Big Four of Leland Stanford and the Ohio Gang of Edward L. Donhey in America.
So South Africa bringing its case against Israel at the ICJ could well be interpreted as South Africa highlighting how corruption has begun to replace the Rule of Law within the South African justice system.
When the Super Bowl addresses things going on in countries which aren't America it can resemble an American dictator yelling at countries which have no right to reply. Almost like Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam, yelling like only Samuel L. Jackson can. However the Super Bowl has been far from the US' most poisonous Soft-Power export in recent years.
That dishonour has to go to the Nation of Islam (NoI) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) inspired Black Lives Matter (BLM). Black Lives Matter seems to be a deliberate attempt to scrap one of only two clauses in John Hobbes' proto-Social Contract. People can't going around stealing from one another. As such the objective of Black Lives Matter seems to be to abolish the Rule of Law and Natural Justice entirely and trap us all back in the State of Nature and Natural Law.
Black Lives Matter has been particularly influential over the South African political party the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and other brave anti-Colonial warriors who don't seem to know we're living in the Neo-Colonial Era. The sort of people who don't seem to hesitate in joining Hamas in its Crimes Against Humanity.
So South Africa bringing its case against Israel at the ICJ could well be interpreted as a South African protest against Black Lives Matter. The poisonous effect it has had on justice systems across the World, particularly in the US. Particularly in the targeting of one Donald J. Trump.
If that were true then President Trump's retaliations against South Africa over the ICJ case certainly give me the impression of a man who urgently needs some *ahem* 'Artistic Direction' from a more accomplished group of 'Facebook Friends.'
Of course during the Cold War Nelson Mandela and the ANC were allied with the Soviet Union. So it seems sensible to heed their warnings about Soviet Sharp-Power tools, like Critical Race Theory. How you're supposed to point them at other people, not yourself.
At around 18:35 on 25/2/25 (UK date) The Oscars may have to suffer as a result. Kendrick Lamar's not had the chance to say anything yet.
Edited at around 17:50 on 26/2/25 (UK date) to copy & paste;
If the plot of Chi-Raq seems familiar then it should. It is a reworking of the play "Lysistrata" written by the Greek playwright Aristophanes in 411 B.C. In that original version it is the women of Athens who organise a sex strike to force the men to end The Peloponnesian War which at the time the play was written had already been going on for 20 years. It continued for another 7 years after the play.
Lysistrata is really an exploration of gender roles and sexuality. In the play, as within Greek society at the time, women are considered to be almost like children. Devoted to drunkenness and promiscuous sex. It is the role of men in society to control women like a parent would control their child or a rider would control their horse. By withholding sex Lysistrata and the other women of Athens subvert those gender roles putting women in control of the men and forcing the men to do the mature thing and end the war. In Koine Greek "Lysistrata" literally translates as; "Disbander of Armies."
I really don't have time to explore Aristophanes original play or Spike Lee's reworking of it. However Aristophanes is considered the Father of Comedy and Lysistrata is consider the first comedy. In Koine Greek the word; "Comedy" derives from the words; "Revel" and; "Song." Revealing that plays, the movies of their day, as a form of storytelling have their roots in the storytelling of songs and poetry.
Within America there is still this stereotype of Black people as lower form of life. Almost like wild animals still trapped in the State of Nature. Unable to do things like art and science. This is a stereotype that the likes of Black Lives Matter and Hip-Hop/Rap music following the Tupac/Biggie killings are all too happy to promote. Drake being one of the worst offenders
This Half-Time Show takes as its main theme the heavily scientific topic of Urban Planning and Development or Urban Geography. It also references the complex legal issues involved in the conviction of Charles Taylor. By referencing the work of Aristophanes it shows that Black people are also perfectly capable of discussing Ancient Greek high art and culture. Very much subverting those racial stereotypes just as Lysistrata subverted the gender stereotypes of its day.
It also helps show that wherever you go in the World people aren't actually that different. People have been that way for many thousands of years. So war is not a new thing, homosexuality is not a new thing, transgender people are not a new thing, arguments over Public Morals are not a new thing. When America, or any other nation, gets together to renegotiate its Social Contract it's not dealing with new topics. It's just trying to find the balance of compromises on very old topics which society feels is right at this time.
The US Awards Season ends with The Oscars. It is often said by people who are familiar with the Greek classics like Aristophanes' Lysistrata that there are no new stories, just as there's no new issues. An almost infinite amount of people have fallen in and out of love before and people have always told jokes and had fights about it. The Oscars and movie making in general is not about telling new stories. It's about finding new ways of telling old stories.
Chi-Raq was the first movie ever released by Amazon Studios which went on to buy MGM Studios. So mentioning it also allows for Awards Season discussion about the effect the new Streaming companies like Amazon and Netflix are having on the traditional movie and wider Entertainment Industry.
I think it's probably best for me to save those discussions for my coverage of The Oscars. However I will say that Amazon, perhaps unsurprisingly, seems to be really improving distribution. Hollywood isn't the only place that makes movies. India also has a massive movie industry dubbed; "Bollywood" while Nigeria as has a thriving movie industry dubbed; "Nollywood." Traditionally those movies wouldn't really get seen outside of those countries. These days you can stream them without even having to get off your sofa.
Referencing Classical, pre-Biblical, Greece also serves to remind people that it is the Jews who are the indigenous population of Israel. It is the Palestinians, or Peleset, who are the European Colonisers that the likes of Black Lives Matter supposedly oppose.
Kendrick Lamar then began his performance with a combination of two songs; "Bodies" or; "Body For Body" and; "Wacced Out Murals." Wacced Out Murals is the opening track from Kendrick Lamar's current album; "GNX" while Bodies is said to be an unreleased song from the same album. I think that means it was a song written for the album that Kendrick Lamar or his record company, Interscope Records, chose not to include on the album. Except it has been released. I'm surprised it isn't at the top of the charts just off the number of times I've listened to it online in these past weeks.
That allows for more discussion about the impact Streaming companies are having on the Entertainment Industry, specifically the music industry. It used to be that a record company would release an album in a physical form, either a vinyl record or CD. The record company would then decide to release a number of singles from that album, again in a physical format. The record company would also make a video to promote the single.
These days everything is released online at the same time. It is the fans who choose what the singles are by Streaming their favourite songs over and over again. Something which very much shifts creative control away from the record companies and even the artists themselves.
The songs which make up Kendrick Lamar's Rap Battle with Drake aren't on his GNX album or any of his albums. I don't think they're even available in a physical form. Kendrick Lamar just released them online as the idea came to him. He then went on to make videos for some the popular ones while not bothering with the less popular ones.
Of course a lot of artists and record companies also release albums and singles in a physical form as a type of merchandise. A physical thing like a T-Shirt or a poster that fans can collect. Some artists really milk that collectors market releasing many, ever so slightly different, versions of the same albums and singles. Taylor Swift being particularly notorious for this. Obviously the fans who buy these things enjoy doing so. However it strikes me as a bit greedy. Particularly with Taylor Swift you get the impression it's her fan's parents who actually being forced to buy all these different versions of the same album.
So we can speculate why Bodies wasn't included on the GNX album. Whether it is being saved for a deluxe, collectors re-release of the album. Or whether Kendrick Lamar just decided that it didn't really fit in with the type of album he wanted to release.
Bodies is very much in the style of a Rap Battle song. It's about meeting and opponent body-for-body, blow-for-blow. It particularly attacks the fake gangster victimhood mentality that's promoted by Drake and Black Lives Matter. With the Super Bowl making the war Hamas inflicted on Israel a main theme it must be said that the title of the song has caused real problems in the return of the bodies of those kidnapped and murdered by Hamas. Certainly more problems than you'd want at a fun sporting/entertainment event.
However the content of the song isn't really that important so much as the way it was delivered at the Super Bowl. The version Kendrick Lamar performed live is much faster than the recorded version. Even if you are a native Spanish speaker it's really difficult to talk that fast. It's even harder to do so while maintaining a rhythmic, percussive structure. It is one of those skills that rappers would be judged on if Rap Battles had formal rules and an official scoring system.
Wacced Out Murals is Kendrick Lamar's response to the criticism which followed him being booked to perform this Half-Time Show. Many thought that if a rapper was to be booked then it should be the rapper Lil' Wayne who is from New Orleans where the Super Bowl was held. Kendrick Lamar was announced as the Half-Time Show performer on September 8th 2024 (8/9/24) and the criticism started almost immediately.
The GNX album was released on November 22nd 2024 (22/11/24). Meaning that Kendrick Lamar heard all the criticism then formulated his response and released it as part of an album within the space of about a month. Far less time than it would take Drake to travel down to Atlanta and pick a dozen or so songwriters at the market. This was Kendrick Lamar showing how quickly he can think on his feet. Responding to insults being hurled against him. Another of the skills rappers would be judged on if Rap Battles had formal rules and an official scoring system.
So by combining these songs Kendrick Lamar was attacking Drake by showing off how much better his skills are. The type of very subtle attack that would sneak through any censorship by the NFL of FOX. So subtle it probably even went straight over Drake's head.
Wacced Out Murals itself is really Kendrick Lamar standing up for himself against the criticism. Pointing out where he's coming from and how hard he's had to work to earn the honour. Far harder than any of the people criticising him has worked. He almost apologises to Lil' Wayne pointing out that it's not about doing him down, it's just about Kendrick Lamar doing his best.
Kendrick Lamar also name-checks Nas as one of the people who defended him. The most famous Rap Battle/Feud has got to be the one between Tupac and Biggie Smalls. This had a really negative effect on the entire genre reducing it to just Gangster Rap. People pretending to gangsters, only doing songs about all the drugs they're selling and the murders they're committing. Reinforcing that stereotype of Black people being wild animals unable to rise above the State of Nature.
I think Drake has got to be the worst offender for this fake gangster routine. However you can most clearly see the shift in the genre in Nas' career. He released his debut album "Illmatic" in 1994 which is quite an optimistic, diverse, happy album. Nas went into the 1995 Source Awards (The Oscars for Hip-Hop) thinking he was going to do really well. Only to be completely overshadowed by the East Coast-West Coast feud. Deciding that was the way to sell records and win awards Nas pivoted towards Gangster Rap. I don't think there's CCTV footage of the 1995 Source Awards. However if there is you can probably pinpoint the exact moment Nas made the decision.
Part of Nas' big pivot towards Gangster Rap involved starting to work with Sean Combs, who now likes to be known as; "P. Diddy." Wacced Out Murals includes a Spanish language interlude. Which combined with Bodies showcases the speed of Kendrick Lamar's delivery. He can rap even faster than a native Spanish speaker talks. Taken on its own though it is reminiscent of the way the song; "O Fortuna" was sampled in the track; "Hate Me Now" from Nas' third album "i am..." which features P. Diddy. P. Diddy is currently in prison awaiting trial for some really nasty Domestic Violence and sex-trafficking charges. That little Spanish interlude allows for discussion of P. Diddy's legacy and his negative effect on the genre and the wider Black community.
Kendrick Lamar grew up in the Compton neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Even before Los Angeles became a city, back when it was still Yellowstone-style Cowboy country it was considered the most violent city in all of America. Compton has long been considered the most violent neighbourhood of America's most violent city.
So Kendrick Lamar is one of those people who grew up around drugs and violent crime. It's not an act for him. It's a genuine part of his life. Kendrick Lamar pointing out where he's come from and how hard he's worked highlights his gangster credentials, how it is legitimate for him to make songs about such things. That also draws attention to how other people lack those same credentials. Another attack against Drake so subtle it's bound to sneak past any censorship.
If there is a central message to the song it is about respecting yourself even when others don't and not worrying about fitting in and being politically correct. Within Hip-Hop/Rap subculture the politically correct view is to support Black Lives Matter and the fake gangster mentality that reinforces the stereotype that Black people are a lower form of life. It's that attitude Kendrick Lamar's not afraid of standing up to. In a particular swipe at Black Lives Matter and Critical Race Theory the song talks about everybody being indigenous.
As Kendrick Lamar was performing we got our first look at the stage setting. It consisted of four small stages or neighbourhoods (X, O, ⬜, △) connected by a large stage resembling a Freeway. Showcasing the main theme of the Half-Time Show, Urban Geography and the Urban Geography of Los Angeles.
How Los Angeles is really a patchwork of different neighbourhoods connected by Freeways. How the Marxist Brutalist school sees the city as a machine. Divided into separate parts all working together for the good of the collective. How this type of Urban Geography increases Social Isolation undermines Social Cohesion and creates Ghettoisation.
Kendrick Lamar's performance began atop of a car. Specifically a Buick GNX which gives its name to his current album. Buick is a subdivision of General Motors, one of the Big Three Automakers. I really doubt Critical Race Theory would permit an analysis of Big Auto's role in the passing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944.
From the car emerged a ridiculous number of performers/dancers. Highlighting how you can't walk between LA's different neighbourhoods so if you don't have a car you're either stuck in your neighbourhood or you need to get someone who does have a car to drive you. In a poor neighbourhood like Compton the one person who can afford a car is really going to struggle to fit all the people who want to be driven somewhere into a midsized sedan.
The performers were divided into groups with each group wearing an individual colour of the American Flag; Red, White & Blue. Initially they were very disorganised, all separated rather than forming the design of the American Flag. As the performance went on they began to unite and form the American Flag. Highlighting how LA's type of Urban Geography undermines Social Cohesion and expressing a desire to find a solution to the problem.
After his first song(s) Kendrick Lamar gave a short speech which referenced a number of things. One of which was the famous phrase; "40 Acres and a Mule" which comes from Northern Republican General William Sherman's Special Field Order 15 (1865). This allowed Slaves freed from the Democrat South to claim a Land Grant of 40 acres. Some were also given Mules. This became part of The Homestead Acts which were so heavily inspired by John Locke's Labour Theory of Property.
"40 Acres" is also the name of the production company Spike Lee established to make Chi-Raq. Just in case you didn't realise Samuel L. Jackson was reprising his role from that movie.
Kendrick Lamar also referenced "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil Scott-Heron. This started out as a satirical poem which was then set to music and became a song. A further play on Aristophanes' satirical plays having their storytelling roots in poems and songs.
What was being satirised in The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is how television and television censorship is used to suppress and oppress the population. If there is a revolution they certainly won't be allowed to show it on TV. So if you want a revolution you have to get up from in front of your TV and go start one.
It's use here referenced how British TV played up, rather than down the 2024 round of Summer rioting. That's how we knew it wasn't a real revolution - they were showing it on TV. That type of hyper-localised rioting takes place in Britain every year. However the TV news deliberately censors it in order to stop people being encouraged to join in and the rioting spreading. A big part of the reason why there's rioting in Britain every Summer is that rioting's really fun.
I got to see a really clear example of this back when the US and the UK invaded Iraq in 2003. I was living in Brighton at the time which is a very left-leaning city which was very opposed to the invasion. I remember standing up by Moulscombe at around lunchtime on the day of the invasion watching van loads of riot police arrive from across the country along the A270. They were unable to get past due to, pretty much, the entire population of the city sitting in the middle of the road. Things got more lively as the day progressed. However there was not one mention of it on the local news. Just lots of calming stories about cute Kittens at local animal shelters.
Kendrick Lamar's last statement was about it being the right time but the wrong man. Donald Trump's victory at the 2024 Election was absolutely massive. He won both the Electoral College and the Popular Vote, by big margins. Something which hasn't happened since the 1970's, when Gil Scott-Heron wrote his famous poem.
Such was the scale of President Trump's victory you could almost liken it to a revolution. The entire country, possibly World, realising it was time to dump the Biden-Harris Regime and its poisonous ideas like Black Lives Matter.
Unfortunately President Trump almost immediately proved himself to be the wrong man for the right moment. Adopting the Biden-Harris Regime's final f'ck you to us all and trying to impose surrender to Hamas onto Israel.
At around 18:10 on 26/2/25 (UK date) I'm not sure whether I'll have to continue this in another part.
Edited at around 16:00 on 27/2/25 (UK date) to tidy all of the above and copy & paste;
Next Kendrick Lamar performed "Squabble Up." This was the joint lead single from his GNX album, released alongside "TV Off" in November 2024. The fact that it's what he and his record company thought should be the lead single again touches on how Streaming has changed the music industry. It's now really the fans who decide what the singles are.
The song is another in the style of a Rap Battle. Calling for the start of a battle, fight or squabble. It was teased in the video for "Not Like Us" the track that absolutely devastated Drake in his Rap Battle with Kendrick Lamar and calls out fake criminal rappers rapping about their fictional backgrounds. Making it almost sound like a victory lap around Drake. One of the big themes of the Super Bowl was over whether Kendrick Lamar would want to perform Not Like Us and whether the NFL and FOX would allow him to. This built that suspense by teasing the song and the feud.
Squabble Up clearly samples the 1984 song; "When I Hear Music" by Debbie Deb. This is recognised as one of the first songs in the; "Freestyle" genre, a subgenre of Hip-Hop. Relying heavily on early Disco-esque Electronic Dance Music (EDM) samples the subgenre was particularly popular amongst Break-dancers. It's inclusion in Squabble Up harks back to what Hip-Hop/Rap was like before the Tupac/Biggie feud. A diverse genre of music including entire subgenres dedicated to making people happy and want to dance. Rather than just fake criminals constantly rapping about their fictional backgrounds.
When I Hear Music itself samples the bassline from the 1982 song; "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force who are considered amongst the Founding Fathers of Hip-Hop. My use of the 1999 song; "Afrika Shox" which Afrika Bambaataa did with Leftfield certainly wiped the floor with Kamala Harris' planned victory party on the night of the 2024 Election.
In that song Afrika Bambaataa frequently references; "Zulu" however he is not talking about either the Southern African tribe of the timezone. Instead he is referencing the; "Universal Zulu Nation" arts collective he helped found out of the Black Spades street gang in New York City in the 1970's. The fact that he was inspired by the hardly culturally accurate 1964 movie; "Zulu" draws further attention to how little Nation of Islam (NoI) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) inspired Black Lives Matter's views of; "Mother Africa" have to do with actual Africa.
Afrika Shox appears on the same Leftfield album as; "Phat Planet." Another song I deployed on Election Night 2024. Phat Planet was used on the 1999 "Surfer" advertising campaign for Guinness. A large part of the Super Bowl is the commercials. Guinness' Surfer Commercial won, pretty much, all of the advertising awards at the time. It continues to be included on many lists of greatest TV commercials ever made.
During Squabble Up the performers/dancers start a slow march/walk down the steps of the ⃞ neighbourhood where the car is parked. Then begin a slow march along Freeway. This is a recurring feature of the Half-Time Show. Highlighting how the Urban Geography of Los Angeles increases Social Isolation with the Freeways trapping people in their Ghettos.
After Squabble Up the narrator returns. Berating Kendrick Lamar for being too loud, too aggressive; "too ghetto!" Asking him if he even knows how to play [America's] game and telling him to tighten up.
Ever since Colin Kaepernick took to kneeling during the National Anthem American Football and the Super Bowl has become sort of ground zero for the racial divisions that Black Lives Matter sought to reopen. Particularly under the artistic direction of Jay Z the Half-Time Show performers have tended to be Black. Since 2019 only Maroon 5 and Shakira & Jennifer Lopez have been the only non-Black Half-Time Show headliners. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez are more Hispanic than White and even Maroon 5 featured the Black rappers Big Boi and Travis Scott.
As a result recent Half-Time Shows have come in for some heavy criticism for the way they have gone against Public Morals. Some of this has been legitimate. For example Jennifer Lopez's performance featured her in the role of a stripper, to promote her movie; "Hustlers." Now I routinely watch TV shows and movies that would make most people's eyes bleed. However I don't watch them at 6pm on a Sunday evening. when the Super Bowl is broadcast. Despite not having children during that sort of family time even I want to watch more gentle things like; "Superstore" or; "The Big Bang Theory."
However a lot of the criticism is actually criticism of Black Lives Matter. Which the people doing the complaining view as racist, reverse racism. The Soviet Union would be so proud, if only it hadn't ceased to exist a quarter of a century ago.
The specific criticism; "Ghetto" is similarly racially coded. With it often being used as a euphemism for; "Black." The main theme of this Half-Time Show is Urban Geography and the actual, scientific process of Ghettoisation. In no small part to subvert the stereotype of Black people being some sort of lower form of animal life. Incapable of escaping the State of Nature to pursue things like science. A stereotype that Black Lives Matter and fake gangster rappers like Drake are all too happy to perpetuate. The narrators emphasis on the word; "Ghetto" calls into question its true meaning versus how it is used in everyday conversation.
Kendrick Lamar then performs; "Humble." The single he released back in 2017, after helping Taylor Swift try to muscle in on the Eurovision Song Contest with; "Bad Blood." During the performance the performers/dancers have become a lot more united. Their Red, White and Blue now forming the design of the American Flag as they stand on the urban steps of the ⃞ neighbourhood. As the song ends they really clearly start marching down the steps and begin the long march along the Freeway.
The song is really Kendrick Lamar telling other people to be humble. Pointing out that they can't compete with him, while reminding people of where he's come from and what he's achieved. In this context it is the guy who is actually from the ghetto telling the protesters of Black Lives Matter to shut up and be humble. They're not actually from the ghetto and Critical Race Theory really hasn't prepared them to understand the issues.
To be continued in Part 3.
17:04 on 27/2/25 (UK date).
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