Rap sensation Kendrick Lamar brought storytelling to the nation’s main stage at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on Feb. 9. The performance came after Lamar swept the Song of the Year and Record of the Year categories at this year’s Grammys on Feb. 2, totaling five Academy Awards for his hit single “Not Like Us.”
The performance began with viewers being welcomed to the “great American game” as the camera panned to Lamar rapping an unreleased snippet on the frequently referenced black 1987 Buick GNX. His set opened with the song “squabble up” from his most recent album release, “GNX,” before he was interrupted by celebrity guest Samuel L. Jackson, who played the role of Uncle Sam. Jackson attempts to correct Lamar, criticizing his performance for being “too loud” and “too ghetto.”
The stage was set up like a gaming controller with four corners, each marked by an X, O, square and triangle. Throughout the performance, both Lamar and Jackson continued referencing the “great American game,” with Jackson chastising Lamar for his unruly ways. When Lamar transitioned from performing his song “DNA.” to “euphoria,” lights in the crowd displayed the words “Warning Wrong Way.” Jackson even told the scorekeeper to “deduct one life” after catching Lamar using the “old cultural cheat code” by bringing in some of his friends.
The gaming console design wasn’t the only intricate detail of the stage’s concept; the paths were uniform and cement-colored, streetlamp poles were scattered about and a rectangular central walkway resembled that of a prison yard. Outside of the dancers wearing monochrome red, white and blue, there was a small group who did not always follow the uniform choreography. They were dressed in long-sleeved white t-shirts and denim pants, resembling the clothing worn by incarcerated people. These references within the “great American game” can be seen as a subtle critique of the U.S. prison industrial complex and its racial disparities.
Many longtime fans noticed the four female commentators as the signature voices last heard on Lamar’s album “To Pimp a Butterfly,” most notably the track “King Kunta.” The commentators first appeared after Lamar’s performance of “peekaboo,” where he confided in them that he wanted to “perform they [sic] favorite song” but he knows “they love to sue.” Lamar then teases the audience with the melody of “Not Like Us,” which was released in May 2024 amid Lamar’s highly publicized rap feud with Drake.
The song is currently tied up in a legal battle between Canadian rapper Drake and Universal Music Group. Drake alleges that the label failed to prevent defamation by both allowing and promoting Lamar’s release.
In addition to Jackson, the performance featured two more celebrity guests: R&B singer and former labelmate SZA as well as tennis icon Serena Williams. SZA, Lamar’s announced guest act for the show, joined him on stage to sing their song “luther” and their soundtrack hit “All The Stars” from Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther,” a teaser for the duo’s upcoming “Grand National Tour.”
For Jackson’s character Uncle Sam, the “nice and calm” collaboration with SZA was exactly “what America wants.” He warns Lamar not to mess it up but was instead interrupted by another teaser of the “Not Like Us” melody. The female commentators reappeared, asking Lamar if he was “really about to do it.” He responded that this was “bigger than the music” and commented, “They tried to rig the game, but you can’t fake influence,” an assumed subtle jab at Drake, whom Lamar has repeatedly criticized as a “culture vulture.”
Williams joined the rapper on stage during the eventual performance of the diss track, where she can be seen “crip walking” — another subtle jab. Williams, who was rumored to have been romantically involved with the Canadian rapper years prior, has been the subject of subtle disses from Drake on various records.
The performance closed with Lamar’s song “tv off,” as he brought out the song’s producer, DJ Mustard. While the track has gained immense popularity from the album, primarily due to Lamar’s signature shout of Mustard’s name in the middle of the song, it also served as a final nod to the end of the long-running game. Flags for Lamar’s multidisciplinary media company, pgLang, which he co-founded in 2020 with Dave Free, could also be seen flying in the background.
At the very end of the performance, Lamar stood in front of the camera rapping the lyrics, “Turn this TV off, Turn this TV off,” mimicking holding a remote control before the lights cut off on the stage and revealed the words in the crowd: “Game Over.”
Makyla McLeod is a Staff Writer. She can be reached at msmcleod@uci.edu.
Edited by Lillian Dunn and Jaheem Conley.