If you were watching the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, 2025, you know the atmosphere was different. It wasn't just a football game; it was a coronation. Kendrick Lamar didn't just show up to play some hits; he turned the Super Bowl LIX halftime show into a high-concept theater piece that basically felt like a victory lap for the entire West Coast.
People have been asking what songs did kendrick lamar sing at the super bowl, and the answer depends on which year you’re talking about. He’s actually graced that stage twice now—once as a supporting legend in 2022 and once as the undisputed king of the hill in 2025.
His most recent performance in New Orleans was a massive 15-minute statement. It was loud. It was defiant. Honestly, it felt like the final word in a year-long rap war that had everyone from your barber to your grandma picking sides.
The 2025 Setlist: Every Song Kendrick Sang in New Orleans
Coming off the massive success of his surprise album GNX in late 2024 and his dominant run at the 2025 Grammys, Kendrick had a lot of ground to cover. He didn't just stick to the old stuff. He opened the show by literally crawling out of a 1980s Buick GNX—the car that inspired his album title—while dancers flooded the stage like a "clown car" of LA energy.
📖 Related: Why American Beauty by the Grateful Dead is Still the Gold Standard of Americana
Here is the exact breakdown of the tracks he performed:
- Bodies (Intro): He kicked things off with an unreleased snippet that set a dark, cinematic tone.
- Squabble Up: A high-energy moment from GNX that got the crowd moving immediately.
- HUMBLE.: This was a visual peak. Dancers formed a massive, moving American flag behind him while he rapped from a literal staircase.
- DNA.: He kept the DAMN. energy going, proving the 2017 hits still go harder than almost anything else.
- Euphoria: The first "shot" of the night. This was one of the defining diss records from the Drake feud, and hearing it in a stadium was surreal.
- Man at the Garden: A newer GNX cut that showed off his storytelling chops.
- Peekaboo: Joined by the energy of his dancers, this was another fresh GNX moment.
- Luther (feat. SZA): The stadium went quiet in the best way when SZA emerged. This was a dreamy, smooth transition that everyone expected but still loved.
- All The Stars (feat. SZA): A massive, cinematic anthem from the Black Panther soundtrack. It felt like the "pre-finale" peak.
- Not Like Us: The moment everyone was waiting for. He teased it all night, even joking about how "they love to sue." He skipped the "pedophile" line (FCC rules, you know how it is), but let the crowd scream the "A-minor" line so loud the microphones probably peaked.
- TV Off: He ended the night with this GNX track, with Serena Williams making a cameo on stage doing a Crip Walk—a direct callback to her 2012 Olympic celebration.
Looking Back: What Did Kendrick Sing in 2022?
Before he was the solo headliner, Kendrick was part of the iconic "Avengers of Hip-Hop" lineup at Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. That show was a tribute to Dr. Dre’s legacy, and Kendrick’s segment was arguably the most artistically dense part of the whole medley.
In 2022, his set was much shorter but incredibly impactful. He performed:
👉 See also: Why October London Make Me Wanna Is the Soul Revival We Actually Needed
- m.A.A.d city: He only did a snippet of the intro, but the energy in SoFi Stadium shifted the second that beat dropped.
- Alright: This was the meat of his 2022 performance. He was surrounded by dancers in "Dre Day" sashes, and it served as the unofficial national anthem of the culture.
- Forgot About Dre: He didn't sing the whole thing, but he provided a freestyle-esque transition into Eminem's set.
- Still D.R.E.: He joined the full ensemble (Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent) for the grand finale.
Why the 2025 Performance Was Controversial
You can’t talk about what songs Kendrick Lamar sang at the Super Bowl without mentioning the elephant in the room: Lil Wayne. Since the game was in New Orleans, a lot of people—including Nicki Minaj and Birdman—felt like Wayne should have been the headliner. It was a whole thing on Twitter for months.
Kendrick addressed the tension without saying a word. By bringing out Samuel L. Jackson as "Uncle Sam" to provide satirical commentary between songs, he framed the performance as a critique of the "Great American Game" and the cultural divide. He didn't try to "be" New Orleans; he brought "LA energy" to New Orleans, as he said in his Apple Music interview with Ebro Darden.
The inclusion of Not Like Us was also a legal gamble. There was pending litigation involving Drake and OVO at the time, and many wondered if the NFL would let him play it. He leaned into that drama, looking directly into the camera with a smirk during the most pointed lines.
✨ Don't miss: How to Watch The Wolf and the Lion Without Getting Lost in the Wild
How to Relive the Performance
If you missed it live or just want to see Serena Williams Crip Walk again, the full 2025 performance is available on the NFL's official YouTube channel and through Apple Music's "Road to Halftime" collection.
To get the full experience of the songs Kendrick Lamar sang at the Super Bowl, you should:
- Listen to the "GNX" Album: Understanding the context of "tv off" and "squabble up" makes the 2025 show make way more sense.
- Watch the 2022 Medley: Compare the 2022 "Alright" performance to the 2025 "Not Like Us" finale to see how much his stage presence has evolved.
- Check the Lyrics: Kendrick is a Pulitzer winner for a reason. Tracks like "DNA." and "Euphoria" have layers that you usually miss when you're just vibing to the beat in a crowded room.
Lamar has cemented his place in the history of the halftime show, joining the ranks of Prince and Beyoncé as artists who didn't just "play a gig" but actually shifted the culture for fifteen minutes.