It wasn't just a concert. Honestly, it felt more like a cultural interrogation. When Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl LIX kicked off in New Orleans, the air in the Caesars Superdome was thick. You could feel it through the screen. People expected a victory lap after the most lopsided rap feud in history. What they got was a 13-minute cinematic fever dream that left half the audience cheering and the other half reaching for a dictionary—or a lawyer.
133.5 million viewers. That is a staggering number. It officially pushed Kendrick past Michael Jackson’s 1993 performance as the most-watched halftime show in American history. But the numbers don't tell the story of the Buick GNX, the PlayStation controller stage, or why Samuel L. Jackson was shouting at us.
The Game of America: Playing the Part
The show opened with a heavy instrumental of Ghais Guevara’s "The Old Guard is Dead." It set a tone. This wasn't going to be a "shake your tailfeather" kind of night. Kendrick emerged from a 1980s Buick GNX, stepping onto a stage designed to look like a giant PlayStation controller.
Why a controller? Because the entire theme was "The Game of America."
Samuel L. Jackson played the role of "Uncle Sam," appearing on screen as a sort of cynical narrator. He wasn't the friendly neighborhood Nick Fury. He was an interjecting voice of the establishment, constantly critiquing Kendrick's performance. "Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto!" Jackson shouted after Kendrick blazed through a medley of "Squabble Up" and "DNA." It was a brilliant, biting bit of satire. Kendrick was essentially showing how Black art is policed even when it’s being celebrated on the world's biggest stage.
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Why the Setlist Divided the Internet
Most Super Bowl performers play the safe hits. You know the drill. "Sweet Caroline" vibes. Kendrick didn't do that. He leaned into the tension.
The middle of the set featured SZA, who joined him for "Luther" and "All the Stars." This was the "safe" part of the show. Interestingly, the Uncle Sam character praised this segment, calling it "nice and calm." It was a meta-commentary on which parts of Black culture are deemed "palatable" for mainstream consumption.
Then came the moment everyone was waiting for.
The opening notes of "Not Like Us" hit. The stadium erupted. But before the beat dropped, Kendrick looked at the camera and teased the crowd. "I wanna play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue," he said, a direct nod to the legal drama surrounding the Drake feud.
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He did play it. Mostly. He censored the word "pedophile" but left a gaping hole in the lyrics where 133 million people filled it in by screaming "A MINORRRR" at the top of their lungs.
The Serena Williams Cameo and the "C-Walk" Controversy
If you blinked, you might have missed it, but tennis icon Serena Williams was right there on the field. She wasn't just standing around; she was dancing. Specifically, she performed a Crip Walk during "Not Like Us."
This wasn't random. Serena, like Kendrick, is from Compton. She faced a massive backlash back in 2012 for doing the same dance at Wimbledon. By bringing her out to do it again at the Super Bowl, Kendrick wasn't just nodding to a friend; he was reclaiming a moment of Compton pride that the media had previously tried to "thug-ify."
Not everyone loved it. The FCC received 125 complaints about the show. Some viewers cited "anti-American themes" and the use of a split American flag during "HUMBLE." Others were just confused. Hulk Hogan famously told Jesse Watters on Fox News, "Yea, bro, I couldn't understand a word that was being said."
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The Lil Wayne Snub: The Elephant in the Room
We have to talk about New Orleans. Before the first note was even played, the city was hurting. Lil Wayne, the undisputed king of New Orleans rap, was passed over for the headlining slot.
Jay-Z and Roc Nation make the final call. Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez later explained that while Wayne was on the shortlist, Kendrick had the "pulse of the times." Basically, Kendrick had the bigger year.
Wayne was vocal about his disappointment, saying the snub "hurt." Kendrick actually addressed this (sort of) in his recent track "Wacced Out Murals," and there were rumors of a "big surprise" reconciliation that never quite happened on stage. Instead, Kendrick focused on the "Game of America" narrative, using the platform to highlight issues like reparations—literally ad-libbing "40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music."
The Visual Symbols You Probably Missed
- The Flag: Dancers in red, white, and blue formed a fragmented American flag. It looked like a tic-tac-toe board. Uncle Sam would "deduct a point" after every song he didn't like.
- The Costumes: The all-Black dance crew wore outfits symbolizing the literal blood and sweat that built American infrastructure.
- The Ending: The show ended with Mustard (the producer of "Not Like Us") joining Kendrick for "TV Off." It felt like a hard cut. No "thank you, goodnight," just a sharp exit.
Actionable Takeaways for Music Fans
If you're still trying to process what you saw, you aren't alone. This performance was designed to be studied, not just watched.
- Watch the "GNX" Trailer Again: The one-shot trailer Kendrick released in September 2024 holds the keys to the "No Round Twos" philosophy he brought to the Super Bowl.
- Listen to "GNX" (The Album): Songs like "Man at the Garden" and "Peekaboo" were live-debuted during the halftime show. They provide the context for his current creative headspace.
- Look for the Social Commentary: This wasn't just about a rap beef. It was about the NFL's relationship with Black culture and the paradox of being a "socially aware" rapper performing for a corporate giant.
Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl didn't try to unify everyone with a catchy chorus. He forced a conversation about who gets to play the game and who sets the rules. Whether it was the "worst halftime show ever" or a "masterclass in performance art" depends entirely on which side of the cultural divide you're standing on.