Super Bowl LIX: Kendrick Lamar’s halftime victory lap
The 37-year-old rapper delivered a career-spanning set that was equal parts defiant and celebratory, a reminder of why he remains one of the most electrifying and influential performers of his generation.
At the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, Kendrick Lamar didn’t just take the stage, he took a victory lap.
The 37-year-old rapper, the first to win a Pulitzer (for his 2017 album DAMN.), deliver a career-spanning set that was equal parts defiant and celebratory, a reminder of why he remains one of the most electrifying and influential performers of his generation.
Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, set the tone: “Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up.” And tighten up he did.
Flanked by dancers in red, white, and blue, Lamar tore through ‘HUMBLE.’, his triple-Grammy-winning anthem of self-mythology. He was later joined by pop megastar and frequent collaborator SZA for ‘ALL THE STARS’, their shimmering hit from the Black Panther soundtrack.
And then, the moment everyone will be talking about. For weeks, speculation swirled: would Lamar perform ‘Not Like Us’ — his ruthless evisceration of longtime rival Drake (who is currently touring Australi) and one of the biggest songs of the past year? Lamar played it coy. “I want to perform their favourite song, but you know they love to sue,” he smirked, gesturing toward Drake’s ongoing legal battle with Universal Music Group over the track’s release.
And then — of course — he did it anyway.
‘Not Like Us’ — which just swept the Grammys with five wins, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year — dropped like a hammer. Lamar snarled through the first verse: “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one.”
This was the Super Bowl, where combative art is typically sanded down for mass consumption — so when Lamar’s reference to Drake’s crew as “pedophiles” got strategically bleeped, it was replaced by a prerecorded scream.
The NFL may only be able to stomach a rap feud if it’s filtered, but Lamar had the last laugh — inviting Serena Williams, a rumoured former girlfriend of Drake, onstage to Crip walk.
SERENA CRIP WALKING ON DRAKE LMAOOOOOOOO
— AJ King (@allday_ajking) February 10, 2025
pic.twitter.com/KZ79k9Qzo6
“Man I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon. I would’ve been fined,” Williams joked in a video she shared on social media. The pair were believed to have been linked in 2011.
Super Bowl halftime show babyyyyyyyyy pic.twitter.com/zufoSNdNhe
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) February 10, 2025
Lamar performed in front of an A-list turnout.
Taylor Swift — Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s omnipresent girlfriend, whose appearances at games have inspired more breathless coverage than the team’s stats — was there, flanked by Ice Spice and the Haim sisters (Este, Alana, and Danielle).
Taylor Swift got showed on the big screen and got booed aggressively.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 9, 2025
She asks: "What's going on?"pic.twitter.com/1CSLjNanmK
Social media reports claimed Swift was loudly booed upon arrival, but for context: the stadium was mostly filled with Eagles fans, who had plenty to celebrate after a dominant 40-22 rout over the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
The night’s musical moments extended beyond the halftime show. Louisiana native and seven-time Grammy winner Jon Batiste delivered a stirring national anthem, followed by Harry Connick Jr.’s take on Go to the Mardi Gras by Professor Longhair.
Lady Gaga, fresh off her Grammy win, gave a raw, piano-driven performance of Hold My Hand in the middle of Bourbon Street, surrounded by first responders and NFL grandees, including Tom Brady. The performance was framed as a tribute to the victims of the January 1 attack on the same historic avenue.
The Super Bowl’s usual collision of Hollywood, music, and sports heavyweights was in full effect. Jay-Z arrived with daughters Blue Ivy and Rumi Carter, while Megan Thee Stallion, Kevin Costner, and Adam Sandler were also in attendance. Soccer icon Lionel Messi added an international presence.
Mad Men star and Chiefs diehard Jon Hamm fired up the crowd as he introduced Kansas City, while Bradley Cooper, joined by his young son, welcomed the Philadelphia Eagles — whose offensive line featured Sydney’s own Jordan Mailata, the former Bankstown Bull and South Sydney under-20s rugby league player, now a Super Bowl champion.
And, for the first time ever, a sitting U.S. president: Donald Trump was met with cheers and a mix of boos as he arrived at the Caesars Superdome for the game.