Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show was a tightly staged performance that placed hit songs, patriotic imagery, Black cultural expression and a live rap feud in the same frame. It lasted just under 13 minutes, included “Not Like Us,” and used an Uncle Sam character to interrupt and comment on the action. Its meaning is open to interpretation: reporters read the staging as a story about America, but Lamar did not confirm one definitive explanation.
What happened at Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show?
Lamar headlined the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, 2025. The NFL had announced him as the headliner in September 2024. The Associated Press described the set as just under 13 minutes and identified him as the first solo hip-hop artist to headline the halftime slot. The NFL’s booking announcement also recalled that Lamar had appeared at Super Bowl LVI in 2022 as part of Dr. Dre’s ensemble with Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J. Blige. AP’s event report covered the 2025 performance.
The spectacle began with Lamar atop a Buick GNX, while Samuel L. Jackson appeared as Uncle Sam and introduced what he called the “great American game.” The performance moved through recent album material, familiar hits, collaborations and the Drake-directed diss track “Not Like Us.” It was a compact medley, not a full concert set.
What songs did Kendrick Lamar perform at the Super Bowl?
Descriptions of a medley can differ in how they name shortened songs and transitions, so this is a reported outline rather than a definitive, exhaustive set list. AP reported an untitled song teased around the release of GNX, followed by “Squabble Up,” “HUMBLE.,” “DNA.,” “Euphoria,” “Man at the Garden,” “peekaboo,” and a tease of “Not Like Us.” The Los Angeles Times also described SZA joining Lamar for “Luther” and “All the Stars,” Serena Williams appearing during “Not Like Us,” and Mustard joining the closing song, “TV Off.” The crowd display read “GAME OVER” at the end. The Los Angeles Times review recounts the sequence and guest appearances.
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The progression gave the show its shape: new material and established hits made room for guest performances, then the teased feud track became a central event. The closing “TV Off” shifted the focus back to a group performance, with Mustard onstage.
Did Kendrick Lamar perform “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl?
Yes. The show first played with uncertainty about whether Lamar would perform “Not Like Us,” then included it. Before the song, he said, “I wanna perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue,” as quoted by the Los Angeles Times. AP also reported his reference to people who “love to sue.” During the song, Lamar let the crowd complete a line, according to AP and the Times.
The moment landed amid Lamar’s public rap feud with Drake. At the time of the performance, Drake had sued Universal Music Group for defamation over the promotion and popularity of “Not Like Us.” The lawsuit was against the label, not Lamar personally; its allegations were claims in a legal filing, not proof that they were true. The performance did not resolve the lawsuit. And the song’s accusations are lyrics from a rap battle, not established facts about the people they refer to. AP’s coverage described the event-era lawsuit context.
What did Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show mean?
The show’s visuals put American symbols and Black cultural expression side by side, but their meaning is not settled by the staging alone. The Los Angeles Times reported that dancers arranged in red, white and blue formed a divided American flag, with Lamar at its center. The paper connected Lamar’s line “The revolution ‘bout to be televised” to Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 poem “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” and described the performance as a story about America that celebrated Black culture. Those are the Times’ interpretations, not a single explanation confirmed by Lamar. The paper’s account of the symbolism discusses that reading.
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Jackson’s Uncle Sam character sharpened the tension. After “Squabble Up,” he called the dancers “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto”; later, he praised a calmer passage with SZA. The contrast can be read as a question about who gets to define acceptable American performance—and whose expression is dismissed as excessive. That reading follows the contrast staged onstage; it should not be mistaken for a definitive statement of Lamar’s intent.
That combination helps explain why the show could feel both familiar and challenging: it used the machinery of a mass-audience halftime spectacle, but placed questions of identity, national imagery and cultural judgment inside it. The NFL’s announcement quoted Lamar saying, “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why,” followed by, “They got the right one.” The performance offered a vivid case for that confidence without reducing its symbolism to one simple message.
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Why was Serena Williams at the halftime show?
Williams appeared during “Not Like Us,” a song at the center of Lamar and Drake’s public feud. Her presence brought another high-profile figure into a moment already charged by the track’s lyrics and crowd participation. The reporting identifies the appearance but does not establish a single explanation from Williams or Lamar for why she was included; it is safer to describe what happened than to assign her a specific message or role.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How was the show received, and what record did it set?
The NFL’s 2025 halftime-show page reported 133.5 million viewers and called Lamar’s performance the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show, surpassing Michael Jackson’s 1993 show. That is the NFL’s reported figure and record claim for 2025, not a guarantee that the record remains current. AP characterized the performance as history-making and noted Lamar’s place as the first solo hip-hop artist to headline the halftime slot.
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Is GNX the halftime-show recording?
No. GNX is a studio album, not a recording of the halftime performance. Its material featured in the set, and the album is available in physical formats: Amazon lists the Kendrick Lamar GNX vinyl LP, while Lamar’s official store lists vinyl, CD and cassette formats. Neither listing makes the album a live show recording or an official halftime-show product.
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