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Kendrick Lamar headlined the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, where the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 22-time Grammy-winning rapper delivered a memorable performance featuring Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam, his former TDE labelmate SZA, DJ Mustard, and even tennis legend Serena Williams doing her iconic 2012 London Olympics Crip Walk.
A behind-the-scenes video of K. Dot celebrating after the show has since gone viral. Reacting to the clip, one netizen commented:
"He should not be this happy abt that mid performance.."
Many praised the performance, with some even taking the opportunity to call out Drake. Lamar also performed his diss track Not Like Us, which seemingly targeted Drake during their feud.
"He knew that he finally finished Drake once and for all," one wrote.
"kendrick fr a cutie patootie," another commented.
"performance 15/10 flare jeans? 15/10 precious smile? 20/10" a fan reacted.
Others expressed their disappointment at the performance. Some even joked about the Compton rapper's height.
"does he know that his was the worst since the turn of the decade?" one wondered.
"“keep them away from me” on the back of his shirt LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," another added.
"I keep on forgetting how short he is bskfhskfjskfwkds" a person noted.
"Too loud, too reckless—too ghetto!"— Samuel Jackson's Uncle Sam to Kendrick during the halftime show
Kendrick Lamar became the first solo hip-hop artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. His set featured a medley of songs like HUMBLE., Not Like Us, DNA, tv off, squabble up, Luther, and All the Stars, among others.
The halftime show began with Uncle Sam-clad Samuel L. Jackson, noting:
"This is the great American game."
Lamar, whom Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, The Game, Kurupt, and others dubbed as the "King of the West Coast" in 2011, delivered a performance celebrating the genre (and West Coast rap) and laden with metaphors.
Kendrick Lamar entered atop a GNX (1987 Buick GNX referencing his latest album and the year he was born). The rapper noted, "The revolution about to be televised—you pick the right time but the wrong guy!" before breaking up into squabble Up.
The satirical Uncle Sam frequently butted heads with Lamar, scolding him:
"No no no no no! Too loud, too reckless—too ghetto! Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up!"
Many believe this was referencing the letter a group of seventeen Republican legislators sent to the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation ahead of the Super Bowl, wanting the event to be "'family-friendly" and not "lewd" or "offensive."
Kendrick then began his performance of HUMBLE., where his backup dancers, clad in red, white, and blue, made a U.S. flag formation as the rapper stood right in the center as a defiant rip.
Kendrick Lamar's set then moved to the next track, DNA, during which the rapper sprinted down (not running too fast) the field, signifying the 40-yard dash. He then broke into peekaboo, but not before Uncle Sam remarked:
"Oh you brought your homeboys with you, the old culture cheat code. Scorekeeper, deduct one life."
The whole peekaboo segment was contained within the four corners of a giant "X" structure.
The second half of the halftime show began with the arrival of SZA (clad in red), with the pair performing their hit, Luther. Before jumping onto All the Stars atop a circular platform. While SZA sang the chorus, Lamar and the backup dancer walked in a round circle around the stage, which many believe signified the prisoners walking in circles.
This segment was calmer in comparison to the previous songs, prompting Jackson to state:
"Thats what America wants! Nice and calm. You're almost there, don't mess this..."
However, Kendrick, sticking to his defiant style, interrupted him by saying, "It's a cultural divide; imma get it on the floor," as the tune Not Like Us began playing. He even added, "40 acres and a mule; this is bigger than the music," noting that this was more than a Drake diss track. At one point, Lamar quips, "You know they love to sue," referencing Drake's lawsuit.
Serena Williams (Drake's ex) made a guest appearance, recreating her viral Crip Walk from the 2012 London Olympics after winning the gold.
Needless to say, as seen on clips online, chants of the track could be heard across the Superdome. The production even cut the music for the crowd to sing the notorious "tryin' to strike a chord and it's probably A-minor."
Kendrick concluded his show with a rendition of tv off, starting with the famous scream of "MUSTAAAAAARD" from the song as DJ Mustard joins him on stage. The chorus from the track was probably aimed at the audience, asking them to turn the tv off, as the performance won't be topped. Amid the performance, a pro-Palestinian came on stage but was quickly taken away.
In 2022, Kendrick Lamar performed at the Super Bowl halftime alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige, and a guest appearance from Anderson .Paak and 50 Cent.
The Super Bowl LIX show is available to stream on Tubi's app.
