Kendrick Lamar made history on Sunday (February 9), when he became the first solo rap act to headline the Super Bowl. After the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs ended the first half with a score of 17-0 (respectively), it was time for K. Dot to take centerstage. Rocking a diamond-encrusted lower case “a” chain, which had to be a nod to “A-Minor,” one of the most famous lyrics from the infamous Drake diss “Not Like Us,” and a pgLang jacket, Kendrick was introduced by Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam.
Kendrick began his set rapping from the top of a GNX before he was joined by several dancers dressed in red, white and blue. He proceeded to perform some of his most popular songs, including “squabble up,” “LOYALTY” and “peekaboo” before it was time for SZA to join him for “Luther” and “All the Stars.”
For a moment, it looked like he wasn’t going to perform “Not Like Us,” the biggest song of his career. He simply teased the beat and dissed Drake in the process, telling the crowd, “I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue,” a reference to Drake’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group.
Kendrick Lamar’s Full Super Bowl Halftime Show performance #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/OxZED0YXDn
— popculture (@notgwendalupe) February 10, 2025
Kendrick then surprised everyone by ending his epic performance with “Not Like Us” and looked directly at the camera when he got to the line, “Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young.” Kendrick was joined by the producer of the track, Mustard, and tennis star Serena Williams, who Crip-walked during the performance.
“Not Like Us” arrived in May 2024 during the one of the most highly publicized beefs in recent memory. It was followed by Lamar’s sixth album, GNX, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with more than 319,000 copies moved in its inaugural week.
On Sunday (February 2), “Not Like Us” went on to win multiple trophies at the 67th Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Song and Record of the Year. In total, Lamar walked away with five golden gramophones. Kendrick Lamar has been reveling in a stellar run since the whole beef with Drake kicked off in March 2024 with the release of “Like That” by Future and Metro Boomin. From the Grammys to the Super Bowl, there’s no telling what he’ll accomplish next.
