Kendrick Lamar didn't just walk onto that stage in New Orleans; he basically colonised it. By the time the final echoes of "Not Like Us" faded into the Louisiana humidity on February 9, 2025, the conversation had shifted from "Why wasn't it Lil Wayne?" to "How did he just do that?" It was loud. It was abrasive. It was, honestly, the most Kendrick thing Kendrick could have done.
Everyone knew the super bowl singer 2025 was going to be a lightning rod for drama. You've got Jay-Z’s Roc Nation making the calls, a city that breathes Lil Wayne’s "Tha Carter" series, and the most decorated rapper of his generation coming off a year where he essentially dismantled the biggest pop star on the planet. The stakes weren't just high; they were astronomical.
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The Setlist That Shook the Superdome
Let’s be real: people expected a victory lap. What they got was a cinematic interrogation of American culture. Kendrick started the show in a way that felt more like a short film than a concert. He literally climbed out of a 1980s Buick GNX. The stage looked like a giant PlayStation controller. It was weird, it was nostalgic, and it worked.
The tracklist wasn't just a "Greatest Hits" shuffle. He opened with a snippet of "Bodies," an unreleased track that had the internet scrambling for a download link within seconds. Then he hit the gas. "Squabble Up," "DNA," and "ELEMENT" came in rapid succession. The energy was frenetic.
SZA and the "All the Stars" Moment
When SZA appeared for "All the Stars," the vibe shifted. It was the breath of fresh air the stadium needed after the intense, bass-heavy opening. Their chemistry is undeniable. They’ve been collaborating since the Top Dawg Entertainment days, and seeing them on the world's biggest stage felt like a graduation ceremony for that entire era of West Coast music.
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Why the Lil Wayne Snub Still Matters
You can't talk about the super bowl singer 2025 without mentioning the elephant in the room: Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. New Orleans is Wayne’s house. When the NFL announced Kendrick instead of the local legend, the city didn't just get upset; it felt like an insult. Nicki Minaj and Birdman weren't quiet about it. They viewed it as a corporate dismissal of the man who put Cash Money Records on the map.
Kendrick handled it with a sort of quiet arrogance. He didn't apologize. In his announcement video, he stood in front of a massive American flag and told everyone, "They got the right one."
Honestly, the "snub" actually made the performance better. It gave Kendrick a villain arc to lean into. He wasn't there to be liked; he was there to be undeniable. Even the inclusion of Samuel L. Jackson as a satirical "Uncle Sam" narrator felt like a nod to the fact that this wasn't a show meant to please everyone. It was meant to be art.
The "Not Like Us" Factor
If you think he was going to skip the Drake disses, you don't know Kendrick Lamar. The FCC concerns were real. Everyone was wondering if he’d have to censor the "A-minor" line.
He didn't.
Well, technically the broadcast cut the audio for the most controversial words, but Kendrick didn't need the mic. He just pointed it at the crowd. Sixty thousand people in the Superdome screamed the lyrics for him. It was a communal exorcism of a feud that dominated the previous year. Having Serena Williams—who famously crip-walked to the song at her own event—show up on stage to do it again was the ultimate "checkmate" move.
The Technical Wizardry
Behind the scenes, the production was a monster. We’re talking:
- Over 11 miles of fiber optic cable.
- A stage that had to be assembled in under eight minutes.
- Mustard (the producer) on the decks, ensuring that West Coast bounce translated to a stadium built for jazz.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception about the super bowl singer 2025 is that this was just a "Pop Out" sequel. It wasn't. While the Juneteenth show in LA was a celebration of unity, the Super Bowl was a demonstration of power. Kendrick used the platform to showcase his new GNX era, proving he isn't interested in living in the past.
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He stayed true to his storytelling roots. He didn't use 50 backup dancers just for the sake of scale; he used them to create specific, jarring imagery that reflected the "cultural divide" Samuel L. Jackson kept narrating between songs.
What This Means for 2026
With the news that Bad Bunny is taking the reins for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, the bar has been set impossibly high. Kendrick proved that hip-hop doesn't need to be "sanitized" for the halftime show to be successful. You can have the Pulitzer Prize and the street anthem at the same time.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the fallout or just want to relive the tracks, here is the move:
- Watch the raw footage: Don't just watch the YouTube highlights; find the fan cams. The scale of the "Not Like Us" singalong is terrifying from the stands.
- Check the credits: Look into the creative direction by Dave Free and pgLang. The "Uncle Sam" segments were actually deeply rooted in 1970s satirical theater.
- Listen to GNX: The album dropped right as the hype peaked, and it provides the necessary context for why the stage looked like a retro-futuristic fever dream.
The 2025 halftime show wasn't just a concert. It was a statement that the genre is still the most impactful thing in the world, and Kendrick Lamar is its current, undisputed king. Case closed.