The Kendrick Lamar 2025 Super Bowl show may be over, but the internet – and world – is still reeling from what is destined to go down in history as one of the best half-time performances of all time.
As the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles retreated to regroup for the second half of the game, Kendrick Lamar took to the stage firing on all cylinders to a setlist that included hits like Squabble Up, Humble, DNA, Peekaboo, All The Stars and the eagerly-awaited, Not Like Us.
Patriotism was the name of the game with Kendrick flanked by dancers dressed in blue, white and red, drifting into a flag formation before traversing a set designed to resemble a video game controller (more on that later). After all, we are talking about football here, and there’s arguably no greater forum for the country’s patriotic values to be showcased than on the football field. And, in light of recent political events, there’s arguably no better performer to illustrate the need for a cultural reset around these so-called patriotic values, than Lamar himself.
The world knew they were in for a masterful performance, but we weren’t quite prepared for the set that would follow.
In case you missed it, or you’re just wanting to relive this year’s performance for the sake of it, these are all the most memorable moments from the Kendrick Lamar 2025 Super Bowl half-time show.
Samuel L. Jackson Narrating As Uncle Sam
Just in case Lamar’s statement wasn’t clear enough to those watching on from the sidelines, Samuel L. Jackson appeared as Uncle Sam to narrate the show from beginning to end.
Kicking off proceedings with a “It’s your uncle, Sam, and this is the great American Game,” Jackson motioned to the Compton-born rapper who performed Bodies from the top of a 1987 Buick Grand National GNX, the car for which he named his latest album, GNX.
Throughout the show, Jackson delivered lines such as “No, no no! Too Loud! Too reckless! Too ghetto” and “Yo culture cheat code. Score keeper – deduct one life,” as commentary on the discourse around several of Lamar’s most notable tracks.
The Dancers Emerging From Lamar’s Car
As Lamar began with an unreleased track used to promote his new album, unofficially known as Bodies or Tiramisu, the trunk on the car beneath him popped to reveal a steady stream of dancers making their way out of the seemingly never ending “clown car”.
The impressive feat was orchestrated by the show’s art director, Shelley Rodgers, whose work on Rihanna’s half-time show in 2023 earnt her an Emmy.
“That car was not easy to find, especially since he dropped his album,” Rodgers said in an interview with Wired about the show’s production. “We could have just used his, but I don’t know that he would’ve liked it after.”
SZA Joining Kendrick On Stage
After teasing Not Like Us – the Drake diss track to end all diss tracks – by rapping “I wanna perform their favourite song – but you know they like to sue,” in a nod to Drake’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group’s promotion of the song in question, Lamar welcomed SZA on stage.
The pair, who are set to tour together later this year, collaborated on Luther, and All the Stars – the hit song from the Black Panther soundtrack.
After the performance, Jackson made another appearance, remarking: “That’s what I’m talking about! That’s what America wants – nice and calm,” followed by the moment the crowd had all been waiting for.
Serena Williams Dancing Alongside Kendrick
While rumours were running rife as to who Kendrick Lamar might be add to his special guest appearance list, absolutely no one saw fellow-Compton native, Serena Williams, being one of them.
But as Not Like Us blasted through the stadium, there she was in all-blue and white – and with a tennis skirt on, no less.
The crowd went understandably wild, as Williams danced side of stage as the entire stadium echoed the now infamous line, “tryna strike a chord, and it’s probably A Minor.”
As iconic as her appearance was, internet sleuths were quick to bring another possible hidden meaning to the table.
Before Serena Williams met her now-husband, she and Drake were rumoured to have dated, with many noting at the time that the fizzled out romance was due to Serena losing interest in Drake pretty quickly.
The rapper, seemingly heartbroken, wrote about Williams and her new husband soon after they were married in his song Middle of the Ocean, saying: “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie / He claim we don’t got a problem but / No boo, it is like you coming for sushi.“
Amazingly, Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian responded with a comment of his own, tweeting: “The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do, including being the best groupie for my wife & daughter.” To which Williams replied with a heart face emoji – clearly approving of her husband’s stance.
Just when we thought it couldn’t get worse for Drake…
Kendrick Closing Out The Set With DJ Mustard
To end his history-making set, Lamar brought out DJ Mustard, to perform his breakout hit TV Off – which was produced by the DJ.
Referencing the now iconic Heinz commercial, Lamar bellowed “Muuuuussstttaaaaard” as the line “Turn your TV off” flicked on repeat before the performance itself came to its natural end.
What Was The Concept Behind Kendrick Lamar’s Half-Time Performance?
Speaking in a pre-game interview with Wired, the show’s art director explained the PlayStation-style concept for Kendrick Lamar’s show-stopping performance.
Coming from an idea floated by Lamar himself, the vision was rooted in the idea of portraying the rapper’s life through the guise of a video game.
“I think the was symbolic, his way to reach young people,” Rodgers said. “A lot of it is showing his journey, traveling through the American dream.”
Members of Lamar’s creative company pgLang worked alongside Rodgers, creative director Mike Carson and director Dave Free, to develop the overall look and feel for the half-time show.
“Dave Free and Kendrick are really into keeping things clean and minimal,” Carson shared with Wired. “So we went with a monochromatic concrete look and allowed the video game motif to come alive through dialogue, lighting, choreography, and music.”
Before performing, Lamar shared his thoughts on being asked to perform during the Super Bowl, and what it meant to him in a press conference with Apple.
“It reminds me of the essence and the core response of rap and hip-hop and how far it can go. So for me, that shit means everything, because it puts the culture on the forefront where it needs to be and not minimized to just a catchy song or verse. This is a true art form, so to represent it on this type of stage is everything that I’ve worked for and everything that I believe in as far as the culture. Like, I live and die by it.”
How Much Was Kendrick Lamar Paid For The 2025 Super Bowl?
The short answer to this question is nothing.
Performers – no matter who they are – are historically not paid to perform at during the Super Bowl Half-time show.
Despite the millions of viewers that tune into the Super Bowl with the sole reason to see the half-time shows, it’s a little known fact that these stars do not actually receive a performance or talent fee.
In 2016, an NFL spokesperson confirmed that the artists are not paid, but that the NFL covers the respective production costs.
While the NFL doesn’t release exact numbers on exactly how much they fork out for these productions, a previous Forbes estimation signalled a number as high as US$20 million.
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