Kendrick Lamar placed Hip Hop at the focal point of the event that took place during Super Bowl LIX. On February 9 in the evening, as the Kansas City Chiefs endured a crushing defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Compton-born rapper injected his hometown’s vibrant energy directly into New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome.

Lamar kicked off his approximately 13-minute performance with a brand-new, unreleased track, which was an unconventional choice for such a massive and highly publicised television event. Before moving on to the next song, he announced, “The revolution is about to be broadcast / You made the right choice of timing, but selected the wrong person.” He appropriately accompanied it with his fifth Billboard Hot 100 No. As of now, the track “squabble up” has gained more than 41 million views on YouTube.

Just as he was about to complete it, Uncle Sam — portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson hastily intervened, “Absolutely not.” Are you saying that Mr. Lamar’s music is too loud, too aggressive, and too rough around the edges? And do you really think he understands the rules of the music industry? “Pull in tighter.” The performance then moved directly into the song “HUMBLE.” The album DAMN. boasts two of the rapper’s most successful tracks, which are arguably his biggest commercial achievements.

It would have been preferable if Lamar had maintained his momentum by releasing additional chart-topping songs, potentially including tracks like “m.A.A.d city,” “Money Trees,” or indeed “Alright,” had he chosen to focus on a more contemporary period. However, instead viewers were treated to a live performance of “euphoria,” one of his biting critiques of Drake, which was released in April 2024.

Lamar revisited GNX territory with “man at the garden”, one of his preferred tracks from the album, and “peekaboo”, albeit without AzChike’s involvement. Shortly after, highly anticipated special guest SZA took the stage to perform “luther,” which samples Luther Vandross, and then delivered 2018’s “All The Stars.”

This is exactly what I’m referring to. According to Jackson, that’s what America is seeking. You’re very close now. Don’t make a mistake with this. The highly anticipated moment finally arrived, as Lamar took to the stage to perform “Not Like Us” for a global audience of over 100 million people worldwide.

One of the standout moments of the evening was incredibly electrifying, and its impact was palpable in the crowd’s collective response. Lamar rapped, “Say, Drake, I hear you have a preference for younger women,” with a smiling expression directed straight at the camera, prompting the crowd to become increasingly agitated and erupt into a minor disturbance, while in the midst of the chaos, Serena Williams executed a complex dance move, the Crip Walk, amidst the other various activities taking place in the background.

Nah yall dont understand . . . everything this man Kendrick is doing on stage is a whole metaphor. This shit poetic fr from the dancers, camera angles, “uncle” Sam Jackson, and how they playing around the red white and blue??? cmon bro

— J the Dog Father (@J_ro_77) February 10, 2025

Its over. Never beef with kendrick

— JPEGMAFIA (@jpegmafia) February 10, 2025

Someone said that Drake might pop out at the Super Bowl to perform poetic justice with Kendrick and someone commented “Yall think this is Marvel” pic.twitter.com/TAtg8Yw0wD

— ☀️ (@freauxmama) February 8, 2025

Kendrick Lamar brought the house down tonight in his half time performance! I loved his song selection and the production was amazing! Sza sounded great and I loved seeing my friend Serena Williams and my good friend Samuel L. Jackson as “Uncle Sam”!

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 10, 2025

Kendrick looked directly at the camera and said:

“Say drake I hear you like em young” pic.twitter.com/aBYkn3hZpk

— Did Kanye say something dumb today? (@didjesusdrop) February 10, 2025

Kendrick: “CERTIFIED LOVERBOY, CERTIFIED PEDOPHILE”

Serena Williams: pic.twitter.com/L02aY1PNLA

— Darian Holt 🍎🍟🍎❄️ ➏ (@D_1andOnly_) February 10, 2025

OMG…..OMG……@kendricklamar did it. Not only did he rock the beat of “Not Like Is”……he sang the lyrics. He did it. Mentioned “Drake” by name too. Awwwww Damn! Helluva halftime show. The brother showed out.#Salute!

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) February 10, 2025