Kendrick Lamar was selected to perform at the 2025 Super Bowl at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana where Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles went head-to-head in the most anticipated football game of the year. Kendrick’s performance broke records by becoming the most-watched Apple music half-time show ever with 133.5 million viewers. Kendrick performed some of his most popular songs: “Squabble Up”, “Humble”, “DNA”, “Euphoria”, “Man at the Garden”, “Peekaboo”, “Luther”, “All the Stars”, “Not Like Us” and “TV Off” and brought Sza to the stage as a guest singer to sing their songs together.
Actor Samuel Jackson dressed up as Uncle Sam, (the personification of the U.S. government) opening Kendrick with the first song “Squabble Up” welcoming the audience to “the great American game.” Lights in the stadium crowd spelled out: “START HERE” above a downward pointing arrow squarely on Lamar, kneeling in front of a Buick GNX, an unspoken nod to his latest LP, GNX.
He wore denim jeans and a jacket with “Gloria” emblazoned on the back, a reference to the closing track on that album. Kendrick sings “Squabble Up” and Jackson interjected, as “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.” Two favorites from that record came soon after, as Lamar rapped the hit single “HUMBLE” and “DNA.” A large number of dancers, all Black men and women dressed in red, white and blue came out of a GNX — the colors of the American flag — leaned, nodded and moved in unison.
At a point, they moved around and grouped to form an American flag, their backs turned toward each other with Lamar there in the middle. Lights in the crowd spell out “WARNING WRONG WAY” and Kendrick may have been referencing a directive found in video games, America under the second Trump administration or the fact that much of the back half of his set carried on.
Kendrick also ended up singing “NOT LIKE US” with Serena Williams Crip walking in blue in the song that has been most popular throwing shade at Drake and making allegations about some unsavory connections.
Overall, the half-time show was a 7/10. Sza definitely deserved more air time and maybe even heard a few other songs that I enjoy. Overall, I think it was a good performance and Lamar brought a lot of entertainment to the half-time show.
