Kendrick Lamar delivered a razor-sharp, star-studded Super Bowl set—minimal, masterful, and unmistakably ruthless
A week after snatching five Grammys—including a historic win for Not Like Us—Kendrick Lamar stepped onto the biggest stage in American entertainment and made it his own.
The Super Bowl LIX half-time show wasn’t just a performance; it was a flex, a statement, and a not-so-subtle middle finger wrapped in immaculate choreography and razor-sharp bars.
Unlike the bombastic theatrics of past headliners, Lamar opted for calculated minimalism. No flying stages. No overblown pyrotechnics. Just him, a fleet of precision-drilled dancers, and a Buick Grand National GNX—the car he was driven home from the hospital in as a newborn, and the namesake of his latest album.
And then, there was Samuel L. Jackson.
Draped in red, white, and blue as a swaggered-up Uncle Sam, Jackson set the tone with a booming monologue that was equal parts state-of-the-union address and battle cry. Then, Kendrick hit the ignition.
Opening with Squabble Up, the first single from GNX, he weaved through his catalogue with the precision of a surgeon. He threw HUMBLE. and DNA. in the mix—a nod to DAMN. and his last Super Bowl appearance in 2022—but the focus was all on his latest evolution.
It was a bold move, playing five tracks from GNX—a record that’s barely had time to marinate in the public consciousness. But Kendrick’s never been one for nostalgia.
“It’s very hard for me to live in the past,” he said at a pre-show press conference. “This is me, this is Kendrick Lamar, 37 years old and I still feel like I’m elevating.”
And elevate, he did.
The moment the ominous bassline of Not Like Us crept in, the stadium shook. But instead of diving headfirst into the most infamous diss track of the decade, Kendrick played it coy.
“I wanna play their favourite song, but you know they love to sue,” he smirked, skipping over Not Like Us and rolling straight into Luther and All The Stars—both featuring the ethereal powerhouse that is SZA.
But the tease was short-lived. When the beat came back around later in the set, Kendrick let it rip. He may have scrubbed out a certain word (you know which one), but the crowd made up for it, screaming, “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-Minor” with unfiltered glee.
Adding fuel to the fire? Serena Williams—Compton royalty and Drake’s rumoured ex—dancing front and centre as Kendrick took his victory lap.
The set closed on TV Off, with Mustard—the mastermind behind Not Like Us—holding a football as the stadium lights cut out. In the stands, glowing bracelets spelled out the words: GAME OVER.
Was it a sign that the beef with Drake had reached its final chapter? Or was Kendrick just making a cheeky Super Bowl pun?
Either way, the message was clear: This wasn’t just another half-time show. This was Kendrick Lamar at his most dominant—unbothered, unapologetic, and entirely untouchable.
