Entertainment

Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show performance at Super Bowl 2025 capped off an incredible year for the rapper.

Kendrick Lamar understood the assignment.

As the first solo hip-hop act to helm a Super Bowl halftime show, Lamar knew that his presence was “bigger than the music” and “40 acres and a mule.”

Instead of following in the footsteps of previous halftime acts and merely running through a medley of greatest hits, Lamar delivered a 13-minute tour de force, holding the Superdome audience (and millions at home) in the palm of his hand.

Sporting a blue varsity jacket, Lamar stalked the stage, styled like a city block, surrounded by backup dancers that from above resembled the American flag.

And while Lamar was the MC of the moment, it was actor Samuel L. Jackson, clad in an Uncle Sam outfit, who served as the master of ceremonies.

“It’s your uncle, Sam, and this is the great American game!” Jackson shouted, before Kendrick launched into hits like “Wacced Out Murals,” “Bodies,” and “Humble.”

Jackson toggled between playing hype man and devil’s advocate, later dubbing Lamar’s set “too loud too reckless, too ghetto.”

“Mr Lamar, do you really know how to play the game?” Jackson shouted. “Then tighten up!”

Tightness was not a problem for Lamar, as he ran through a set primarily from his 2024 album “GNX.” You can bet that some of the choregoprahy for songs like “Squabble Up” and “Peekaboo” will match the moves on his upcoming 2025 tour with SZA (coming to Foxborough in May).

Speaking of SZA, the singer was the most notable guest to join Lamar’s set (other than maybe Jackson), providing a balance to “Luther” and “All the Stars.”

And producer DJ Mustard did pop up for a brief moment to hear his own name shouted on “TV Off.”

But after appearing as a face in the crowd at the artist-filled 2022 Super Bowl halftime show in Los Angeles, Lamar kept the spotlight focused on him — Serena Williams dancing under a streetlight notwithstanding.

Perhaps the most notable musician tied to Lamar’s set was one who was never going to attend: Drake.

Throughout the set, Lamar made reference to his diss track “Not Like Us,” which so thoroughly dismantled Drake’s career that the rapper born Aubrey Graham filed a lawsuit — a first in rap beef history.

Kendrick teased and cajoled, saying he knew what the audience wanted before saying he’d “think about it,” and moving onto another song.

“I wanna play their favorite song but you know they love to sue,” Lamar told the women dancers behind him.

When he finally launched into “Not Like Us,” Lamar didn’t even need to finish his lines. The Superdome crowd happily filled in the controversial lyrics (“Certified Lover Boy / certified pedophiles”) without Lamar having to utter a defamation-adjacent word.

As the set wound down, Kendrick took a victory lap. The pressure of performing on the biggest stage was nothing to him. Much like the game itself, it was no contest. Game over.

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