4 out of 5 stars
Kendrick Lamar, the first rapper to headline a Super Bowl halftime solo, left playing to the teams last night — he came to work. Coupling unfiltered Lamar content with some of his most popular songs, Lamar pleased both fans and football spectators alike.
The 2025 Super Bowl halftime show featured appearances from SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Mustard and Serena Williams. Lamar and SZA were accompanied by a swarm of all-Black hip hop dancers in red, white and blue. The performance lasted just under 15 minutes.
Rappers often have to play into what is deemed civil by the rest of society when performing at large events. Lamar opposed this by calling out Uncle Sam (Jackson) on one of the biggest stages in the nation. He opened the show crouching on the hood of a black Grand National as Jackson introduced himself to the crowd as Uncle Sam and welcomed viewers to “the great American game.”
Lamar started with a surprising debut, his “GNX” trailer. Lamar warned, “The revolution is about to be televised. You picked the right time but the wrong guy,” as dancers poured out of the Grand National’s side door and trunk.
Gaming system marks surrounded Lamar. The X, square, triangle and circle stages of the performance resembled a PlayStation controller. Glowing lights in the stands read things like “start here” and “warning, wrong way.”
Uncle Sam interrupted Lamar’s performance after “Squabble Up,” calling it “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.” After Uncle Sam told Lamar to “tighten up,” he transitioned into one of his most popular songs, “HUMBLE.” Dancers surrounded Lamar, arranged in a flag design.
As a dancer and occasional choreographer, I give major props to this choreography — this was next level. The dancing was phenomenal, and I love when choreography uses different colored costumes in stylistic formations. The female dancers shone in wigs that matched their red and blue outfits, and the male dancers matched Lamar’s dominant energy with their dynamics.
A tuned-in Lamar fan may have noticed a slight lyrical slip-up in “DNA.,” but the one mistake was no match for the stage presence he brought into “euphoria.” Lamar paused in the center of the field at the end of the song surrounded by popping sparklers as he reminded the world, “It’s K D O T.”
In outdoor cypher-like staging, Lamar performed an acapella version of “man at the garden” with dancers leaning on a streetlight behind him. The acapella spin made it more upbeat, possibly at the expense of some hard-hitting lyricism, but I enjoyed it.
Uncle Sam came into the scene, telling the camera, “Scorekeeper, deduct one life.” Lamar then appeared inside the X stage, the button used for revival on PlayStation, while he performed “peekaboo.” The vocals came through well during “peekaboo,” but the mics needed to be turned up during the rest of the show.
Lamar stepped into one corner of the X, surrounded by four female dancers. He said, “I want to play their favorite song, but they love to sue,” as the instrumental of “Not Like Us” played. Lamar was clearly referencing Drake’s lawsuits against Spotify and Universal Music Group over “Not Like Us.” This was only the first Drake shot of the night.
Instead of giving the people the big number, Lamar transitioned into “luther.” Adorned in red leather, SZA appeared on the triangle stage. Between her silky-smooth dance moves and angelic high vocals, she stole the show from Lamar.
SZA continued to thrive in “All the Stars.” From what I could tell, her vocals were flawless, so I wish we fans at home could have heard her better.
Uncle Sam commended Lamar’s “nice and calm” choices. Before he could finish warning him not to blow it, the intro to “Not Like Us” started playing.
In undoubtedly the most memorable moment of the performance, Lamar looked the camera straight on, said, “Say, Drake,” and cracked a maniacally content smile. Careful to avoid any material for more lawsuits, Lamar skipped the word “pedophile.” Chills went down my spine as the whole crowd sang, “Tryna strike a chord, and it’s probably A Minor.” Lamar’s lowercase “a” chain glinted extra brightly at that moment.
I can hardly anticipate Drake’s reaction to this beef grand finale. At this point, there’s nothing left for Drake to do beside hide overseas for a while and hope he can eventually blend back into society as if nothing ever happened.
Williams, Drake’s ex-girlfriend, was seen for just moments crip walking on a streetlight set piece during “tv off.” It was just long enough for me to think, “Serena?” and focus back on Lamar. Naturally, Mustard came onto the field right as Lamar screamed his name.
Lights in the stands lit up with “game over” as Lamar left the field, ending his TV revolution. He defeated society’s expectations of conformity. A Pulitzer Prize winner, one of the most highly awarded rappers of all time and now the first rapper to get a solo spot at the Super Bowl, Lamar is a one-of-a-kind performer.
I thoroughly enjoyed the performance, although I thought the gamer theme may not have translated as well as it could have (without my boyfriend’s explanations, I probably would have been lost). The volume was too low, which made the lyrics unclear at times. Regardless, I cannot wait to see Lamar and SZA on tour in May.
Photo courtesy of Oregon Public Broadcasting.