7: Kendrick Lamar Halftime Show: When a performance isn't meant for you

Not Everything is Meant for You—And That’s Okay

Let’s talk about Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show—the performance that had some people on their feet and others scratching their heads. Was it a cultural masterpiece, or did it just not land for you? Either way, that’s completely okay—because not everything is meant for everyone.

On this episode of Five with Fry, we’re diving into the mixed reactions to Kendrick’s performance—what worked, what didn’t, and why some folks just couldn’t connect with it. We’ll unpack:

• Why audience expectations don’t always align with an artist’s vision
• The importance of understanding that not all art is made for you
• How critiques around politics, sound issues, and style reveal deeper biases
• The wisdom of a white mom teaching her kids that stepping outside their comfort zone is a good thing

If you loved it, let’s talk about why. If you didn’t, let’s explore what that means. Because in a world where entertainment is more than just mindless fun—it’s also cultural, political, and personal—it’s worth asking: What happens when we challenge ourselves to engage with art beyond our own experiences?

Join me for this deep (and fun!) dive into what it means to appreciate, critique, and expand our understanding of performance, culture, and artistic expression.

Transcript

Dr. Jen Fry: 0:00

Friends, welcome to Five with Fry, where five is the magic number, whether it's five minutes, five questions or anything that fits in five. I dive into the big topics that matter, sometimes alone and other times with a friend. From navigating sports conflict to family dynamics, travel, tech, hard-hitting issues and even politics. Nothing and I mean nothing's off the table. This is where curiosity meets conversation, and we always sit at an intersection. I'm your host, Dr Jen Fry of Jen Fry Talks. Let's get into it, Friends. Welcome to the newest episode of Five with Fry.

Dr. Jen Fry: 0:37

So today we're going to talk about something that happened last month, but everybody is talking about it, which is the Kendrick Lamar Everybody is talking about it, which is the Kendrick Lamar halftime show and we had a few different groups and their thoughts. We had the first group who just enjoyed it, just for the performance. We had another group who enjoyed it for the performance and all the little Easter eggs, I guess it's called that. You had to like understand what he was talking about, and he had people who were like had to like understand what he was talking about. And then you had people who were like I didn't understand what it was. And then you had people who were like I just wanted to watch a Super Bowl show and I'm mad that this wasn't for me. Why didn't they have Bruce Breen's thing, Prince was the best one, and that type of thing, and so you know, I think the first thing I just want to say is that I am not a person that knows music well meaning. I think I'm tone deaf. I don't really like understand fully instruments and all that Like. I know they exist, but how they put them together astounds me. The next thing is I'm not a person that can see like Easter eggs in art. So like whenever I go to Cirque du Soleil they're like, oh my God, the ball means this and that and the other. I'm like, but it's just a red ball. Or, oh my gosh, did you see the blue that was showing to be maybe just a little bit green? And this meant this message no girl, bye. I don't know what that means. And so when people were talking about Kendrick Lamar, I didn't understand all the Easter eggs, right, Like Serena Williams, Crip Walking from Wimbledon, and it was a diss to Drake. Or you know, Samuel L Jackson was there and it was about Uncle Sam.

Dr. Jen Fry: 2:10

Like I understand all that and I took the time to read and there was this wonderful post from this white mom, I think she said eloquently that we have to teach people that everything isn't for us. She said that she teaches her kids that there are shows that she'll watch and they're not for the kids, and that's okay. There's food that everyone will eat and sometimes it's not the kids favorites, and that's okay. There's music that she'll listen to and the kids might not like it, and it's okay. Everything is not for everybody, and I think that folks got really mad because they expect the Super Bowl halftime show to be 100% for them, and if it is not 100% for them, then they hate it. It's horrible, it's the worst thing ever, and I think that we, as people who live in the US, have to be better at understanding that everything is not for us, and that is okay. That you can watch the Kendrick Lamar halftime show and say I don't really understand anything. Therefore, I can't determine if it's bad or good. But you know what I'm going to do. I'm going to throw some research at it and see exactly what was going on and read what people who say it was for them are thinking. And people just don't want to do that anymore.

Dr. Jen Fry: 3:22

Some of the reasons that people said it was horrible was that the acoustics were bad. I'm like so was it the sound that was bad, or the whole show, Right? Some people said it was bad because it wasn't universally for everybody. Some people said it was bad because why make it so political? Whatever the reason is bad, because why make it so political?

Dr. Jen Fry: 3:48

Whatever the reason is, it's okay to sit and reflect and say you know what it was all those things and you know. I especially know that it wasn't for me and I could watch it, I could turn it off, I can do whatever it is. But I can also understand that there are going to be things and performances that aren't for me and I'm okay with that. It doesn't mean it was bad, it doesn't mean it was horrible. It means it simply wasn't for me and I think it will take people some time to learn that. But the quicker we can learn that, the more we can understand that there are things that other people will get to enjoy that we won't. But that doesn't mean our time isn't coming up for us to enjoy things that other people won't.

Dr. Jen Fry: 4:29

Well, friends, that's it for this episode of Five with Fry, your dose of five insights, ideas and inspiration. If you love what you heard, don't forget to head over to where podcasts are played, to subscribe, share and leave a review. Got a topic you want us to tackle? Drop us a message. We'd love to hear from you. You can come follow me on IG, Twitter, the TikTok at Jen Fry Talks or join me on LinkedIn. Look for me at Dr Jen Fry. Until next time, stay curious, stay bold and keep the conversation going. See you on the next Five with Fry.