My Mixed Feelings About the Super Bowl Halftime Show
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Look, it was lit…
I have to admit that, and I have to admit that I watched.
It was blackity black and I liked that. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and the incomparable Mary J Blige were the headliners, and the show was put on by Jay-Z and Roc Nation. Snoop basically crip walked during his entire performance and it was phenomenal. Mary J Blige, the soul/hip-hop Queen, belted out No More Drama then dramatically dropped to the floor and made a stage angel decked out in a Swarovski embellished bodysuit with matching thigh high boots. Mary is the queen of ghetto fabulous, and I say that with all due respect, and she delivered with her performance and wardrobe. The show was all rap/hip-hop and all Black (besides Eminem) for the first time in Superbowl history, but what does that really mean?
Does it mean that this was an accomplishment for Black entertainers and Black people as a whole?
Of course not.
While Black people collectively celebrated on social media, and in our living rooms, as we danced along to the performance, there was still the elephant in the room. Colin Kaepernick is still blackballed and there are still only two Black head coaches in the NFL. The players are 70% Black.
Did I feel a little guilty for watching? Of course I did. How did I absolve my guilt? I reminded myself that the boycott failed when the actual players decided not to boycott their positions and returned to play for the NFL. It will always be my belief that the players refusing to play until Kaepernick was re-signed, and other demands were met, was the only way for the players to get what they deserved.
So, again, money won in the end.
Jay-Z was criticized for putting on the show, but come on, that’s right up Jay-Z’s alley. While he did turn down the Superbowl in 2019, it was not because of the league’s racist policies, it was because he was asked to perform contingent upon him also bringing out Kanye West and Rihanna. It was all about his ego.
Does it mean that I enjoyed the halftime show?
Yes, I did.
I really wanted to hear Gin and Juice, but alas, it wasn’t performed by Snoop and Dre. I wanted to hear more from Mary but what she did was incredible.
The white rage and white tears from the white people who were upset the halftime show was Black were satisfying I might add.
So, was the show a win for Black people.
No.
Was it entertaining?
Yes, but that’s it…
