On Sunday night, Kendrick Lamar, the first solo rapper to ever headline the Super Bowl halftime show, captured the entire nation as all eyes were on him and his gritty, awe-inspiring performance.
From the beginning, viewers knew the performance would be loaded with political missives as Samuel L. Jackson, dressed in full satirical Uncle Sam regalia, a scowling, looming presence. A caricature, a warning, a walking caution sign reminding Lamar not to get “too loud,” “too reckless,” or “too ghetto.”
THEY NOT LIKE US @KendrickLamar #AppleMusicHalftime pic.twitter.com/86nyDhmXkS
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
So, of course, Lamar did what Lamar does best. He burned the rulebook.
“The revolution is about to be televised; You picked the right time but the wrong guy,” he declared as dancers swarmed from the doors of a sleek black Buick GNX.
The Compton-born rapper kicked off his high-energy performance with “Squabble Up” before transitioning into his 2017 hit, “HUMBLE.” Dancers clad in red, white, and blue fell into formation—a flag split right down the middle. And standing in that divide?
Kendrick. Unapologetic. Unmoved.
“Do you really know how to play the game?” Uncle Sam sneered. “Then tighten up!”
Throughout the performance, K.Dot teased his smash hit, “Not Like Us,” leaving the audience at the edge of their seats. In truth, we all wanted to know whether he would dare to perform the song given Drake’s 81-page lawsuit against UMG.
Lamar is obviously unafraid of any potential legal pushback, and to be fair, judging from the grand affair, neither the NFL nor Apple Music really seemed to be quaking in their boots.
“I wanna make a move / I wanna perform their favorite song / But you know they love to sue / Yeah, that song / Oh, maybe I’ll think about it / You know what? I’ll slow it down,” he said before breaking out into the popular, five-time Grammy award-winning diss track.
He rocked a little “a” chain, maybe a quiet shoutout to that “a minor” line—one the whole crowd belted like a choir—and just when the energy couldn’t get higher, in struts tennis superstar, Serena Williams, hitting moves like a Grand Slam, sprinkling a little salacious history to the mix, because, well… we all know her and Drake were entangled once or twice.
SZA also joined Lamar, where he sang her verse on “luther” and their global ‘Black Panther’ smash, “All the Stars.” She looked incredible. Her vocals were on point, and fans who purchased tickets for their upcoming joint tour got a glimpse of exactly what they could expect.
From Compton to NOLA. @SerenaWilliams @KendrickLamar #AppleMusicHalftime pic.twitter.com/mnzuP7fJ1N
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
Kedrick wrapped up his performance with ‘GNX’ fan-favorite, “tv off,” where he was joined by legendary producer Mustard.
The only crack in the 13-minute masterpiece came right at the peak—when a protester scaled Lamar’s sleek black Buick GNX, flag in hand, a blend of Palestinian and Sudanese colors stretching out like a silent scream before security shut it down with a rather heavy-handed display. Later, the NFL dismissed the protester as just another face in the 400-person cast—but the protest was seen and heard loud and clear.
