Music is a tool, and artists have long known just how to use it. It can carry and express profound thoughts and feelings for the performer, while still allowing audiences to interpret in ways that are meaningful to each fan. That relationship makes music a prime candidate for powerful political messaging — and in 2025, no one wielded that power like Kendrick Lamar.
Lamar performed the halftime show at the Super Bowl 59 last February and drew a record-setting 133.5 million viewers, more than the game itself. He took the big opportunity to focus the messaging in his act.
Following President Trump’s January executive orders aimed at making DEI programs illegal, Lamar notably employed exclusively Black dancers for the halftime show — while the very programs that Trump dismantled would have limited that ability. Though Lamar drew criticism for his hiring, he also garnered some bipartisan support. Notable Trump supporter and fellow rapper Kid Rock called the show “awesome.”
“This was the epitome of DEI [executive orders] blowing up,” Rock explained on the Bill Maher Show. “Kendrick Lamar goes out there and basically turns DEI into an IED: It’s all Black people.”
The centerpiece of the show was Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 hit song, “Not Like Us.” Lamar originally wrote the song as a “diss track” to publicly shame and criticize rapper Drake for his inauthenticity and allegations of predatory sexual behavior.
At the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime show, however, the song took on a new meaning. Lamar inserted new lyrics to move its focus to highlighting racial inequality and the growing political divide following the 2024 presidential election.
“It’s a cultural divide, I’m gonna get it on the floor. 40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music,” Lamar sang at the Super Bowl.
The phrase “40 acres and a mule” refers to the land and resources promised to formerly enslaved Black families, a policy that on the surface aimed to facilitate economic independence after the Civil War. President Andrew Johnson later revoked this promise during his presidency. The lyrics call to mind those racial injustices and disparities, and Lamar’s reference to a “cultural divide” points to the present and growing political hostility in the country, especially regarding race.
As party divides continue to enlarge and civil unrest grows, Lamar’s music refined its status as an anthem of contemporary movements throughout the year. TikTok dances mirroring Lamar’s Super Bowl choreography became common. TikTok users in another trend soon picked “Not Like Us” as background music for their videos of the popular, nationwide No Kings protests against the Trump administration. The protests often addressed policies such as mass deportations, the encouragement for ICE officers to stop or detain even citizens based on race, and the dismantling of DEI initiatives. In a politically hostile time, Lamar’s lyrics were able to unite protesters fighting for racial justice.
Lamar is among the many artists whose music has become deeply connected to political movements. Some of these musical moments span generations, connecting times in American history. Janet Jackson’s 1986 hit “Nasty” went viral again during the 2016 presidential election after Donald Trump interrupted Hillary Clinton and called her “such a nasty woman” during a presidential debate.
Hillary Clinton supporters on social media began connecting the song to Clinton’s new “nasty” title. “Nasty” is part of Jackson’s album “Control.” Jackson wrote the album after feeling pulled in different ways by the music industry. She looked to assert control over her life and encourage fans to seek independence, as well. She said she wrote “Nasty” specifically to call out men who act rude or disrespectful towards women.
Although Trump’s words were meant to insult her, Clinton’s new title as a “nasty” woman grew into a symbol of female empowerment, uniting women who have also faced disrespect from men. Clinton’s campaign even offered a “nasty women” shirt, created in collaboration with comedian Samantha Bee. Hashtags like #nastywomen and #IAmANastyWoman trended on social media. Meanwhile, Jackson’s song saw a 250% increase on Spotify streams.
In 2024, Trump supporters gave the President his own anthem, 2003’s “Many Men” by 50 Cent, after Trump survived his assassination attempt at a presidential rally in Pennsylvania.
50 Cent wrote the emotional, defiant song “Many Men” based on his own experience surviving a shooting. Two decades later, those lyrics were repurposed to portray Trump as a defiant survivor. Like 50 Cent, Trump had survived an attack and deserved to boast, according to his supporters.
As with “Nasty,” there came an online resurgence of the “Many Men,” including AI videos of Trump singing the song spreading across social media. A viral video from Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy depicted Trump pumping his fist with blood on his face and “Many Men” playing in the background.
In a show of some support, 50 Cent also performed the song in July 2024 in front of a backdrop of Trump’s head superimposed on the cover of the album Get Rich or Die Tryin’. 50 Cent stays out of politics, he often says, but admires the “fight mode” he shares with Trump.
The song’s streams in the week following the assassination attempt increased by 224%. Its focus on survival and strength unified Trump supporters by strengthening their pride in their chosen candidate.
As for Kendrick Lamar, 2026 is already looking to be a successful year. He has been nominated for nine Grammy awards. Music like his might often reflect a writer’s personal experiences or current events, but meaningful songs resurface in public consciousness to meet the needs of groundbreaking cultural moments — a trend that will no doubt continue into the new year.