"The Revolution 'Bout to Be—": A Black Spatial Imaginative and Racial Capitalist Reading of Kendrick Lamar and SZA's Super Bowl Halftime Performance

Abstract: On February 9, 2025, Kendrick Lamar and SZA co-headlined the NFL Super Bowl halftime show. Lamar declared atop a 1987 Buick GNX, "The Revolution 'bout to be televised." In this article, I contextualize this sub-15-minute performance through a Black Spatial Imaginary and Racial Capitalist lens. Specifically, I examine how the aesthetics and application of hip-hop consciousness on the stage of the Super Bowl transformed a commercialized, exclusionary arena into a site of Black resistance, empowerment, and reimagination. I offer sociological insights into this performance by exploring how Black artistry can—and has—subverted institutional norms and reclaimed space even amidst hyper-capitalist arenas.