The Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl performance got me thinking. The conversations this morning sound like the people who watched the TV show LOST. Hear me out…
LOST Fans
You had fans like me who loved all the online and IRL Easter eggs. It was exciting and entertaining to dive deeply into the meanings or every tiny detail. We listened to podcasts from the writers, made friends and talked incessantly about all. the. things. We tracked down YouTube videos, played with the Oceanic Flight 815 website and some even went to LOST University. The lucky ones found golden tickets in the actual world offline.
We may not have liked the ending, but we still enjoyed analyzing it and the whole LOST universe. Making connections between books, movies, science, nerd culture was joy for us.
The Others
Then there were the people who just watched the TV show episodes. They didn’t participate in any of the other stuff. They didn’t go beyond the surface of the storyline. They tended to dislike the show or just think it was simply ok. (They not like us!)
The only thing the majority of the Losties and the Others probably could agree on was hating the last season. And that unsatisfying ending.
A newbie K Dot fan
While I can’t quite call myself a Kendrick Lamar fan, I liked “Not Like Us” the moment I heard it. And like everyone else I played it to death. Then somehow I learned the backstory to the beef with Drake. I didn’t even realize he and SZA did one of the songs I liked from The Black Panther soundtrack. So clearly it’s not like I know his catalog. I didn’t even know he had won a Pulitzer Prize.
I’m also usually not the person who hears music first. By being on Instagram my introduction to the GNX album came within hours of when it dropped. With one word: MUSTAAAAAAAAAARD!! GNX has been on repeat for this mostly K-pop music listener ever since. I was really looking forward to the Halftime Show.
So what about the Halftime Show and LOST?
At first it felt low energy. At some point his mic was too low. So much was happening so fast. Once I could see the concepts, I was all in! I understood the points being made through Uncle Sam’s gentle guidance.
The people like me who enjoy Kendrick’s performance were like LOST fans. Seeing the subtle and not-so subtle shout outs was the fun part. Putting together the puzzle pieces together is a LOST fan’s jam.
It was a member of one of my K-drama groups that brought the Squid Game connection to my attention. I was kicking myself for not seeing it. I remembered wondering the significance of the triangle on the stage. It was such an easy one and I missed it! The more I dug deeper into the meanings of everything in that performance the more I valued it. It was iconic in its own way.
Skip the politics and sing for me
Many people said they just wanted to be entertained. They didn’t want all of the politics or in-fighting they never knew about. All they wanted was someone to sing music and dance. Just a plain surface production with no layers or hidden treasure. Just like how The Others watched LOST. (For the record there hasn’t been any halftime performer since maybe Beyonce or Lady Gaga that even touched on politics.)
Now to me, that sounds ok and, well, too ordinary.
I prefer something unique, deep and layered to entertain me. Kendrick delivered the intricate layers of a classical music piece in the form of rap. More than that I appreciate the message he was sending about economic inequity, a divided country, protecting women and children from predators. I’m glad he didn’t just shut up and coon for the masses.
Pinkpodster Ponders 