Kendrick Lamar Served Up Beef with a Smile at the Super Bowl

Opening up the show with an unreleased song is a new kind of a flex

One of the more popular bets before the halftime performance was what the first song performed would be. Going into the evening, the favorite was "HUMBLE." (For the record, we thought it would be his latest No. 1 hit, “squabble up.”)

As it turns out, Kendrick would start things with a song that was completely off the board. Kendrick has been teasing “Bodies” since we saw the trailer announcing GNX back in November. But this performance is the most we’ve heard from the record, with the first verse ending with the very prophetic line, "Revolution is about to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy.”

The moment is actually an incredible feat; it’s hard enough to perform new music on a stage this large. But opening up your set with new music? Unprecedented.— Dimas Sanfiorenzo

The performance was theatrical

When Kendrick was asked to describe his halftime show during an interview with Apple Music last week, he responded with a single word: "storytelling." And that’s exactly what unfolded. Has there ever been this much dialogue during a Super Bowl halftime show? Legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson, playing Uncle Sam, helped narrate the show, and Kendrick repeatedly spoke directly into the camera between songs, telling a story about America, hip-hop culture, and (yes) Drake.

Kendrick has always been a theatrical performer (his Big Steppers Tour in 2022 was basically a play) and he took advantage of the pageantry of a Super Bowl stage to fully indulge his inner theater kid on Sunday night. There were elaborate dance routines, dramatic camera angles, Americana imagery, visual callbacks to his music videos, a consistent “game” theme that evolved from beginning to end, and even an appearance from an a capella group during GNX deep cut “man at the garden.”

It was a Super Bowl performance fit for Broadway. —Eric Skelton

The cameraman was in the running for MVP

The camera crew needs a raise. I can’t imagine how chaotic it must have been in the live control room while all of this shit was going on, but the NFL, Fox, and Apple Music put on a very cinematic live broadcast. Mostly without a hitch—besides some unfortunate audio issues—they pulled off a series of intense close-ups and sweeping pans, executing a broadcast that felt more like a high-budget music video than a traditional live performance.

This is actually the third year in a row of noticeably improved production value. Remember the rotating shots of a roller-skating Usher in 2024? Or the striking on-field close-ups of a newly pregnant Rihanna in 2023? I can't emphasize this enough—give the crew a raise! —Eric Skelton

There's a lot to unpack when it comes to the patriotic nature of the show

The last time Kendrick graced the Super Bowl stage, in 2022 during Dr. Dre’s set, he performed his iconic protest anthem "Alright." It seemed like a subtle nod to the tension surrounding rappers performing at the big game, especially just a few years after Colin Kaepernick's protest. (Eminem, in contrast, took a more direct approach, kneeling during his performance.)

So, the question was: How political would Kendrick get this time, or would he just stick to driving the dagger deeper into Drake’s chest? As it turns out, Kendrick used the airtime to play with the concept of patriotism. Jackson started the show with the line, “Salutations, it’s your Uncle Sam… and this is the great American game,” before we got to see Kendrick and his legion of dancers who were dressed in red, white, and blue. (It should be noted that a person snuck a Sudanese and Palestinian flag onto the stage; this person was immediately tackled by security.)

So what was Kendrick trying to say? For years, the NFL has embraced this sort of patriotic imagery, with flags often taking center stage. And artists tend to follow the lead of the NFL. (You saw flashes of this during Beyoncé’s Netflix performance.) But Jackson’s tongue-in-cheek performance suggested this wasn’t a straightforward display of love for America, and it's likely that Kendrick was mocking aspects of a show like this.

Yes, there’s some Reddit brain theories that this was another subtle jab at Drake, the world’s most famous Canadian. But I suspect Kendrick had bigger fish to fry this time. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Can’t decide what was more savage, the Kendrick smile, Serena Williams’ Crip walk, or 70,000 people yelling “a minooorrrrr”

Despite the menacing aura that surrounds the rap boogeyman, Kendrick Lamar knows how to have fun. Throughout his set, Kendrick teased his beef with Drake and the conversations around "Not Like Us" being suitable for a stage this big. At one point, you hear the backup singers harmonize, “someone better squabble up.” Later, Kendrick performs a verse from “Euphoria,” while flashing an almost psychotic smile. And, a moment later, he slyly references the pending Drake vs. UMG lawsuit: “I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.”

So, it wasn’t surprising when “Not Like Us” dropped near the end. Kendrick performed the song with a glorious glee that was absolutely contagious. When he hit the “Say Drake, I hear you like them young” line, he, again, flashed that wide, almost unsettling grin, like something straight out of the horror movie Smile. He skipped the “pedophile” line—as expected—but didn’t hold back on the “a-minoooorrrr” moment, letting the 70,000 in the crowd roar the line in unison.

Meanwhile, he let Serena Williams, a Compton native and former Drake love interest, appear on stage, crip-walking to the beat. It was an incredibly savage moment, amplified by the fact that Kendrick seemed to enjoy every second of it. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Speaking of “Not Like Us,” the billion-dollar corporations weren’t actually afraid of the song

For weeks, we heard the narratives: “The NFL won’t let Kendrick perform ‘Not Like Us’ at the Super Bowl after Drake filed his lawsuit. Corporate sponsors like Apple Music won’t want to be associated with such a controversial song.” Well, it turns out everyone had it all wrong. Kendrick was allowed to perform the song and the corporations didn’t shy away. Don’t believe me? Here's a direct quote of a tweet from Apple Music at 8:36pm ET: "They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us. They not like us." —Eric Skelton

Kendrick left a lot of his hits off the setlist

Kendrick has a sturdy discography, full of arena-ready songs. But he didn’t perform some of his biggest hits, including “Alright” and “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe.” Why? Because, as he hinted in multiple pre-show interviews, he’s “focused on the present.”

Eight of the 11 songs in the setlist were released in the past 12 months, which is pretty unfathomable for a Super Bowl halftime stage that’s usually reserved for “greatest hits” type setlists from veteran stars. Instead, Kendrick focused on bringing the same storytelling throughlines from his GNX era (and beef with Drake) to the Super Bowl stage. The choice to leave some of his biggest hits off the setlist may have led to online grumbling from fans, but you had to have seen this coming: Kendrick was always going to put together this show on his own terms. He had a story to tell, and he stuck to it. —Eric Skelton

Can we talk about the Easter Eggs?

With Kendrick Lamar, we always expect plenty of Easter eggs to decode. Here are the ones we caught right away. Just a warning—some of it is a bit of a reach, while other parts seem pretty credible:

• Kendrick wore an "a" chain, which could be a reference to the “a minooorrrrr” lyric, but is more likely a nod to pgLang’s logo. Pretty it’s the latter, but Kendrick probably doesn’t mind if you think it’s the former.
• He wore a jacket with "Gloria" written on it. This, of course, is the title of the final track on GNX, which is a song about his pen.
• The "Game Over" sign and the fact that the stage was designed to look like a PlayStation-style controller is surely a reference to Kendrick defeating Drake, or at least signaling that the "game" is over between them.
• We mentioned this before, but the appearance of Samuel Jackson as Uncle Sam and the dancers dressed as the American flag could be a shot at Drake’s Canadian roots, something Kendrick has dissed before.
• Kendrick mentions Drake's UMG lawsuit, the first time he’s mentioned IT publicly.
• Serena dancing to “Not Like Us” seems like a direct shot at Drake. (If you recall, Drake dissed her husband, Alexis Ohanian, on “Middle Of The Ocean.” Oh, and they might or might not have dated a couple of years ago.) —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Is it “Game over” for “Not Like Us?” Or just the beginning?

For all the success “Not Like Us” has had, there are signs that Kendrick is getting tired of the song. For one, he didn’t include it on GNX, instead creating another track with Mustard—"tv off"—that serves a similar purpose. Every time he’s talked about the song and its impact, he avoids mentioning Drake’s name, opting instead to emphasize the importance of LA. In fact, Kendrick has been hesitant to mention Drake period, with the exception of performing... "Not Like Us."

So, having this moment with "Not Like Us" and then ending the show with “tv off” seems almost like a symbolic passing of the torch moment, marking the end of an era. Of course, the song isn’t going anywhere, and he will likely perform it during his upcoming tour SZA, but I wonder if this performanc, which featured a large “Game Over” sign, signals that he’s ready to move on.

In reality, very few rappers have accomplished as much with one song. Kendrick took down a foe, went No. 1, won multiple Grammys, and performed the song on the biggest stage possible. —Dimas Sanfiorenzo

It was unapologetic as hell

Kendrick is the first solo rapper to ever headline the Super Bowl, and he did it the same way he’s done everything in his career so far. He brought the fundamentals of the genre he loves to the world’s biggest stage without making any concessions. No matter what you think of the performance overall, and no matter whose side of the beef you happen to be on, you have to admit one thing: the guy was really rapping his ass off for 12 minutes straight.

Because of the physically demanding nature of Super Bowl performances (have you ever tried running around a football field for over 10 minutes while doing elaborate choreography and performing a dozen songs?) we’ve seen artists take shortcuts in the past. There have been allegations of lip-syncing. Some have phoned it in. But Kendrick rapped all of these songs straight into a mic with no backing track as he turned the latest chapter of his career into a larger-than-life show. It sounds simple, but this kind of performance takes a level of breath control and stamina that most people don’t realize. There has been some (fair) criticism about audio issues during certain parts of the show, but that’s the kind of thing that happens during a performance like this that doesn’t rely on shortcuts.

In perhaps the biggest moment of his career so far, Kendrick didn’t bend to the pressure. He didn’t simply play the hits. He didn’t let lawyers scare him off from playing the song of the year. He didn’t let a leaked setlist from DJ Akademiks change his carefully thought-out plans. He didn’t play it safe. He told the story he wanted to tell, and he did it exactly how he wanted to, internet comments be damned. —Eric Skelton