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Business Manager: Brendan Flaherty
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Since September last year, it was made public that famous rapper Kendrick Lamar would be performing at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. While many people were excited about the rapper’s appearance, there were also many who were skeptical.
Now that the Super Bowl is over, crowning the Eagles as the champs, what did fans have to say about the much anticipated show? Did Lamar wow the crowd and garner more fans, or was it just another forgettable Halftime Show?
According to Rolling Stone, this was the most viewed halftime show in Super Bowl history, garnering a viewer count of 133 million.
The performance included bits and pieces from Lamar’s most popular songs, with a particular focus on his most recent album GNX.
It was theorized for awhile that Lamar would seize the opportunity to flaunt his song “Not Like Us,” a diss track that many believe could finally put an end to the long-standing drama between Drake and Kendrick.
Alongside the famous rapper, famous singer SZA joined Lamar on stage to sing..
After lots of teasing and plenty of lead-up, the rapper finally performed it. The audience went wild, screaming and cheering throughout the whole song.
To add even more salt to the drama between the two, Drake’s ex, Serena Williams, made a surprise appearance on screen, Crip Walking to the lyrics of “Not Like Us.”
So, was this whole event just a way for Kendrick to show off his songs and humiliate Drake?
Well, yes and no.
Yes, Kendrick had a big point to make, as he intended to win the feud with Drake with one finishing blow. He did this by utilizing his televised performance, which he knew would reach millions of viewers.
“Drake became the show’s main character in absentia,“ according to Rolling Stone.
At the same time, no, that was not the only reason for his performance.
As many keen viewers at home have noticed, there were plenty of messages spread throughout the performance, which vary in intent and importance.
Kendrick is the first to have brought a feud to bed through the use of a halftime show and the first to include various other themes and messages through his music.
One of the more notable parts of his performance was Samuel L. Jackson, who played the character of Uncle Sam. This was intended to criticize the haters of Kendrick and the status quo mentality of America to poke fun at what they would eventually have to say.
Uncle Sam essentially told Kendrick to keep it simple and unproblematic, like all the other shows, calling other songs like “Squabble Up” “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.”
After SZA’s appearance and performance of “Luther” and “All the Stars, ” Jackson reappeared saying, “That’s what America wants — nice and calm.”
This was a way to provoke reactions from viewers and to allow Kendrick to test the waters with his music.
Uncle Sam’s addition to the performance represents the uniformity of the superbowl shows. Performers are expected to “know how to play the game” and to stay in line with the rest of the shows.
Lamar was anything but staying in line. Bouncing from hit song to hit song, the young rapper defied the odds, wanting to make the show about him and his music and his people he was rallying—regardless of the hate.
As it will come to no one’s surprise, there were also plenty of people who were not familiar with the rapper and not fond of his show.
Many viewers had trouble with the culture shock of listening to rap, after being accustomed to past superbowl halftime shows being relatively simple and non-problematic.
Overall, though, the show was a great addition, opening doors to many more performers in the future.
Although it was controversial to some, most thought it was great to see a more unique and fun halftime show. Lamar brought something to the table that we have never seen before, allowing people to unapologetically enjoy the show.
There was much to take from the lyrics both in the songs and in between. There was also a lot of symbolism and intentional prop usage that conveyed a much larger theme of rebellious acts. “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Kendrick Lamar said back in September 2024 regarding his appearance at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why.”