Kendrick Lamar Delivers Electric Performance With SZA During Super Bowl Halftime Show
Kendrick Lamar brought the energy during his halftime show at the 2025 Super Bowl, which saw the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles. (The latter ultimately took home the trophy.)
The performance kicked off with an introduction from actor Samuel L. Jackson, dressed in an Uncle Sam-inspired outfit, saying, “It’s your Uncle Sam and this is the great American game.” (Lamar’s stage resembled a game board, with lights in the stadium crowd reading, “Start Here,” at the beginning and “Game Over” at the end.)
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The Compton, California-born hip-hop star went on to perform a 13-minute mashup of some of his biggest hits, including, “Squabble Up,” “Humble.,” “GNX,” “TV Off” and, of course, his 2024 Drake dis track, “Not Like Us.”
Lamar, sporting jeans, a blue varsity-style jacket featuring the name “Gloria,” a black cap and multiple diamond chains, began his set on top of a black car, with “GNX” as an intro before leading into “Squabble Up.”
The rapper also showed his support for the United States of America with his dancers dressed in red, white and blue looks. At one point, they also stood in a formation resembling the American flag.
Lamar later went into “DNA.,” “Humble.,” “Euphoria,” “Man at the Garden” and “Peekaboo.”
As the show continued, the audience and viewers at home patiently waited to see if the rapper would perform his anthem “Not Like Us.” Lamar teased the song mid-performance, saying, “I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue,” referencing Drake’s defamation suit over the track.
He then decided to slow it down a bit as SZA, wearing an all-red look, joined him onstage. The pair performed “Luther” and “All the Stars” together.
However, Lamar didn’t leave viewers hanging long as he went into “Not Like Us” right after, even naming Drake directly during the song. However, the rapper did exclude the word “pedophiles” from the line “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles.”
At one point, the whole live crowd could also be heard over the broadcast yelling the infamous line “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor,” as he continued the song.
Lamar closed out his performance with his song “TV oOf.” Other special guests featured throughout the show included producer and DJ Mustard and tennis superstar Serena Williams, the latter of whom is Drake’s ex-girlfriend.
“I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon,” Williams said later in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter). “I would’ve been fined. It was all love.”
Asked about how his appearance as Uncle Sam came together, Jackson told The Hollywood Reporter, “There actually is no came together. He asked, and I said, ‘YEAH!!!'”
Ahead of his halftime performance, most details were kept under wraps. However, Lamar teased during a press conference earlier in the week, saying that viewers should expect “storytelling” that will help his biggest audience yet immerse themselves in his music.
It’s been a busy week for Lamar, who’s coming off his five Grammy wins last Sunday. His anthem “Not Like Us” swept at the 2025 awards ceremony, taking home the Grammys for song of the year, record of the year, best rap song, best music video and best rap performance.
“Not Like Us” was not only a culture-defining moment when it dropped last year, but it once again proved that Lamar is consistently redefining the rap genre. The song was initially one of several dis tracks Lamar released against Drake amid their ongoing feud, but it quickly became an international and cultural anthem, in addition to topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The track is also at the center of a defamation suit from Drake against Universal Music Group, the parent record label he and Lamar are both signed to. The Canadian rapper claimed the release of “Not Like Us” is an example of valuing “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.” Lamar calls Drake a pedophile and accuses him of appropriating Black culture in the song.
As for SZA, in celebration of the Super Bowl, she added four songs to SOS Deluxe: Lana, the expanded edition of her hit album SOS. The new versions include “Joni,” featuring Don Toliver, “Take You Down,” “Open Arms (just SZA)” and “PSA.”
During the halftime show, someone on the field unfurled a flag with the words “Sudan” and “Gaza” in a protest over the two wars in the Middle East. The protester was quickly grabbed by security, and the NFL said he would be banned for life from NFL stadiums and events.
The league added that the demonstrator was part of the 400-person field cast.
“The individual hid the item on his person and unveiled it late in the show,” the NFL said in a statement. “No one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent.”
A representative for Roc Nation, which produces the halftime show, added that the demonstration, “was neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal.”
Other performances at the 2025 Super Bowl included Jon Batiste singing the national anthem, Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle performing “America the Beautiful” and Ledisi singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, in the Super Bowl, with the big game played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Check out The Hollywood Reporter‘s Super Bowl coverage here.
Feb. 10, 7 a.m. This story has been updated with the NFL and Roc Nation’s statement about the protester who unfurled a flag with the words “Sudan” and “Gaza” during the halftime show.
Feb. 11, 7:19 a.m. This story has been updated with a comment from Samuel L. Jackson.
Seth Abramovitch contributed to this report.
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