Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was like a fumble on the one-yard line—so much potential, yet it left us empty-handed. Even with surprise guests like SZA and Serena Williams, the performance felt more like a missed field goal than a championship moment. We expected a true Kendrick-SZA collaboration, not just Kendrick featuring SZA. When she came out to perform their duets—“Luther” and “All the Stars”—they felt undercooked, lacking the energy needed to make them stand out. Samuel L. Jackson’s cameo as “Uncle Sam” was bold and packed with symbolism, reinforcing themes of Black power and defiance. While many viewers appreciated the statement, the execution didn’t quite hit as hard as it could have. The same goes for Kendrick’s diss on Drake—it had the potential to be a knockout punch, but instead, it barely landed. Perhaps Lamar’s team played it safe for strategic reasons, but overall viewers were underwhelmed. In the end, this halftime show was less “HUMBLE.” and more “mumble.”