Fresh off five Grammy wins, a “humble” Kendrick Lamar took the Superdome field Sunday to perform the halftime show, becoming the first solo rapper to headline the event.
He was joined by SZA and DJ Mustard for some of the numbers. In a surprise appearance, actor Samuel L. Jackson kicked things off, dressed like a modern-day Uncle Sam, and showed up between songs to keep things moving. Tennis star Serena Williams also made a cameo during the performance.
Lamar began with “gnx,” which was performed from atop a black Grand National car. He quickly transitioned into “squabble up” before he sang one of his earlier hits, “HUMBLE.”
Lamar, a native of Compton, California, was wearing a red, white and blue bomber jacket paired with bell bottom jeans and sneakers, and he was surrounded by dancers also dressed in the nation’s colors. At one point, they created a human American flag onstage.
After two more songs — “DNA” and “Euphoria” — SZA joined Lamar onstage for “luther” and “All the Stars.” Fitting the theme, she was dressed in all red.
The moment many viewers were waiting for came later into the set, when Lamar performed “Not Like Us,” the diss track that helped him secure his Grammy wins last weekend.
Lamar had teased the song’s famous beats throughout the first parts of his performance and was met with a loudly singing crowd when he finally launched into the track, which is aimed at Canadian rapper Drake.
The two artists have had an ongoing feud, which escalated last month when Drake filed a federal lawsuit against Universal Music Group alleging it defamed him by spreading a “false and malicious narrative” when it promoted “Not Like Us.” A spokesperson for UMG has said the allegations are “untrue.”
For the final number, DJ Mustard joined Lamar onstage to perform “tv off” as the words “GAME OVER” appeared in lights over the field to cap yet another Super Bowl halftime show.
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February has been a big month for Lamar, who is coming off of a particularly hot 2024.
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one,” Lamar, 37, said in a statement in September when he was announced as the headliner.
Speaking at an Apple Music news conference Thursday, Lamar said he was not thinking about the Super Bowl in the early days of his career.
“What I know is the passion I have now is still the passion I had then, and I think that carried on to the Super Bowl,” he said.
He last performed at the Super Bowl in 2022 alongside several other rappers and hip-hop musicians in a West Coast-themed show that took place at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium.
Ahead of Sunday’s show, Lamar said audiences should expect to see “storytelling.”
“I like to always carry on that sense of, you know, make people listen but also see and think a little,” he said.
Lamar is one of the most decorated rap artists in history, boasting 22 Grammy Awards and 29 BET Awards. In 2018, he won a Pulitzer Prize for music, making him the first musician to earn the title outside the classical or jazz genres.
Lamar surprise-released his most recent album, “GNX,” on Nov. 22. The album features a new song, “squabble up,” which was teased in the “Not Like Us” music video. It follows Lamar’s 2022 album, “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers,” and features SZA on two tracks.
Rohan Nadkarni contributed.
