Following an incredible year that resulted in a feud with Drake, Kendrick Lamar took to one of the biggest stages of all to perform. A Super Bowl halftime performance is on the bucket list for many artists, and Kendrick is lucky enough to have performed at two of them now. Kendrick’s first Super Bowl performance came in 2022 alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and 50 Cent in Los Angeles.
Kendrick Lamar entered the headlining show as currently one of the most successful artists in the world. 2024 was an incredible year for him, as he released the biggest record of the year, ‘Not Like Us’, which was a song that targeted Drake. The track earned Kendrick five Grammy awards. Later in the year, Kendrick released his brand new album ‘GNX’ which topped the charts with hit songs such as ‘tv off’ and ‘luther.’ He also announced a joint stadium tour with SZA which will be taking place over the summer.
Let’s start off with some of the controversy surrounding the show. There was a lot of pushback from many people in the music industry, considering the legal action being taken. In January, Drake sued Universal Music Group for pushing and promoting Kendrick’s hit song ‘Not Like Us’, which Drake claimed ruined his reputation and put him in danger. Many believed this legal action would prevent Kendrick from performing the hit record at the Super Bowl. This same plot later ties into the Super Bowl performance.
Now, focusing on the actual performance. There was a lot of speculation about what songs Kendrick would perform. Would he reach into his vault and play some old music, or would it be the majority from his new album? The answer was actually a little bit of both.
The stage was quite minimal considering some of the extravagant halftime show scenes that fans have seen in the past. In the middle of the field, a large flat surface that resembled a road and had street lights along the side was put down. In each corner of the road, there were mini stages set up that were in all different shapes. There was a square stage that featured a Buick Grand National car, which is what Kendrick’s most recent album was themed around. The other shapes included a circle, a triangle, and an x. Many fans speculated that these shapes represented those of a PlayStation controller.
The show was introduced by Samuel L. Jackson, who played the role of Uncle Sam during the show. He made several appearances throughout the performance. Kendrick took the stage to perform a snippet of a brand-new song on top of the GNX car. The first track performed was ‘squabble up’, where many dancers came out of the car and gave Kendrick some background movement to begin the show. On the same square stage, the dancers lined up as the color of their clothes formed the American flag. Kendrick stood right in the middle of them and performed his 2017 hit ‘HUMBLE’.
Kendrick then took to the street setting of the stage to perform his other smash hit from 2017, ‘DNA’. Next came the first of many shocks of the show. Kendrick Lamar performed one of his initial diss songs at Drake, ‘euphoria’. Still on the same part of the stage, Kendrick slowed it down a bit and played ‘man at the garden’, one of the most introspective tracks off of his most recent album. He then moved to the x-shaped stage and performed ‘peekaboo’. This specific performance was admired by fans for its camerawork and choreography, as Kendrick popped into the camera at the last second out of nowhere.
At around the halfway point of the show, the jabs at Drake began. Kendrick briefly played the beat to ‘Not Like Us’, but quickly cut it off, acknowledging the lawsuit on the song potentially preventing him from performing the song. He then moved on and proceeded to bring out his first special guest. SZA entered the stage and stole the show with her melodic performances on ‘luther’ and ‘All The Stars’.
The real highlight of the show that had everyone talking was when Kendrick took the stage for the long-anticipated performance of ‘Not Like Us’. He took many subtle jabs at Drake throughout the song, most notably smiling at the camera during the line that mentioned him. Kendrick then proceeded to end the show by bringing out his second guest Mustard, who produced their hit song ‘tv off’. Kendrick walked off the stage as the music cut, and the lights in the seats displayed a message saying “GAME OVER”. Many fans speculated this has a deeper meaning relating to the feud with Drake.
The show received mixed reviews from people but served as a major event in the ever-going plot of the Drake and Kendrick Lamar feud.
