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Jackson tagged artists who illustrated him and the other performers at the Super Bowl. SA's Sibusiso Nkosi was one of the tagged artists.
The illustration by South African graphic designer Sibusiso Nkosi of the Super Bowl performance. Picture: @SamuelLJackson/X
The reaction to the Super Bowl halftime show was worldwide and South African graphic designer Sibusiso Nkosi’s illustration of the show caught the eye of US actor Samuel L. Jackson.
You all lift me up‼️🙏🏾 Thank you for sharing your skills 🔥 Much love to you 🫵🏾
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) February 13, 2025
@artthatinspiresme @drawbysena @storyboardartistnyc @sibusiso_the_creator pic.twitter.com/ZHkKcnSSWp
In a post on his social media accounts, the renowned actor tagged artists who illustrated him and the other performers on the night, as a show of appreciation.
“Honestly, it took me by surprise. I was shocked,” Nkosi told The Citizen.
The 24 year-old from Benoni drew Kendrick Lamar, Jackson and singer SZA on stage during the performance.
“I didn’t even know [that Jackson tagged me]. Someone sent me a comment saying, ‘hey dude, Sam Jackson just posted your work’. I was like, ‘nah you’re playing with me’,” said Nkosi.
The artist doesn’t know how the actor noticed his work.
“Maybe people from his team saw it and were impressed. I couldn’t even hide my excitement, I told my dad,” said Nkosi, who added that his father was pleased that his work is being recognised.
“He said, ‘this is going to open doors for you’. I’m like, ‘hopefully it does’. Even right now, this thing is still shocking for me,” shared Nkosi.
ALSO READ: Artist Martin Sefako pays homage to Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo the best way he knows how
Kendrick fan
Lamar was the Super Bowl LIX halftime show act for this year and Nkosi said he stayed up on Sunday night to catch the performance live in the wee hours on Monday.
“I watched it live, I was actually waiting for it. I was keen on watching it, I wanted to see what Kendrick was gonna do,” said the self-confessed Kendrick Lamar fan.
SUPERBOWL HALFTIME REHEARSALS
— LOVELY (@LoveIsback24) February 13, 2025
VIA PGLANG pic.twitter.com/FNbbvDUngr
“I’m not gonna lie, I’m a fan of his work. I wanted to see it first-hand,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to watch the performance on Monday morning in South African time when everyone’s opinion about it had taken over social media.
Nkosi said he felt compelled to do something because he believed Lamar’s performance was a historical moment.
“I wanted to do something and be a part of this whole moment. I didn’t expect people like Samuel L. Jackson were gonna [sic] see it and like the work.”
ALSO READ: Mixed reaction to Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show [VIDEO]
Inspired
The Super Bowl halftime performance is a collaboration between the National Football League (NFL), Roc Nation and Apple Music.
After the performance, Roc Nation announced that Sunday’s halftime show was the most-watched Super Bowl performance, with 133.5 million viewers, surpassing Michael Jackson’s record of 133.4 million in 1993.
The performance polarised those who watched it, with some saying it wasn’t entertaining enough, chastising the Grammy Award-winning rapper for not performing hits from his discography and focusing on songs from his latest album, GNX.
Those who enjoyed the 13-minute performance were particularly impressed by some of the hidden messages that Lamar presented.
“I want to thank my brother Kendrick for the 40 Acres And A Mule shoutout which has been the name of my production company since NYU grad film school,” wrote seasoned film director Spike Lee.
The performance, taking place during Black History Month in the US amid pent up tensions brought by Donal Trump’s presidency, made references to black history.
Midway through the performance, Lamar rapped “40 acres and a mule / this is bigger than the music. They tried to rig the game / but you can’t fake influence.”
According to NPR, the term is a reference to a promise made to formerly enslaved black Americans that was revoked after the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
The promise was made by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman in 1865 and was meant to provide formerly enslaved Americans with land and resources for economic self-sufficiency.
All of this and more was a shot of inspiration for the freelance illustrator in Mzansi.
“It actually inspired me. The performance was awesome for me, I actually enjoyed the performance. I actually picked up on the things Kendrick was talking to; using Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam, America’s struggle and black history and all of that. That inspired me to actually do something,” said Nkosi.
“When I was putting my work out there, it was to show that I liked it [the performance] so now I was doing my own rendition of it, just to show that thing was a moment and me as an artist and illustrator it did inspire me to create something new out of it,” he said.
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