Kendrick Lamar — A Rising “Super” Star

The annual National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl in the United States is one of the key events in the sports world, meanwhile, the halftime show is also among the most anticipated events in global entertainment. The 2025 one was undoubtedly a hit. Combined with a dazzling fusion of music, creativity, and cultural celebration, Super Bowl LIX’s halftime show has left millions of viewers worldwide in awe.

Held at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on February 9th, the Kansas City Chiefs was taking on the Philadelphia Eagles for the second time in three years, making it a thrilling championship game for fans. The event was made all the more exciting by the surprise appearance of U.S. President Donald Trump, who made history as the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. The excitement of the Super Bowl is not only limited to the game itself, but as the nation’s biggest sporting event of the year, the game’s halftime show is also the center of attention and discussion. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, the famous rapper, who sang a total of 11 songs in just around 13 minutes, stepped into the spotlight this year. Here is what he has played…

1. GNX
2. Squabble Up
3. Humble
4. DNA
5. Euphoria
6. Man At The Garden
7. Peekaboo
8. Luther (with SZA)
9. All The Stars (with SZA)
10. Not Like Us
11. TV Off

Lamar: A rapper winning Pulitzer Prize

Lamar has long been praised for his profound and complex lyrics. His music is a mixture of thoughtful, genre-bending gangsta rap, with masterpieces including “good kid”, “m.A.A.d city” (2012), “To Pimp a Butterfly” (2015), and “DAMN.” (2017). His latest album, GNX, featuring three hit singles especially “Not Like Us.”, was released last November.

In 2018, Lamar made history by becoming the first non-classical or non-jazz artist to win the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Music for his groundbreaking album, “DAMN.”. This remarkable achievement showcased the globally-recognized artistic value of hip-hop music. The praise for the album was resoundingly positive, with the committee calling it “an aesthetically and socially significant work that captures the complexity of modern African-American life.”

This year, Lamar was the first hip-hop artist to lead a Super Bowl halftime show on his own, and he’s not stopping there! He’s already made his mark at the 2022 Super Bowl in Los Angeles, alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige. Lamar’s lively stage perfectly captures his spirit in 2024. Take a look back at May when “Not Like Us,” was released, which completely crushed his “beef” with Drake. The song became the most popular track of 2024. Kendrick Lamar also swept five major awards at the 2025 Grammy with his hit “Not Like Us,” winning Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. This makes “Not Like Us” one of the most awarded songs in Grammy history.

“Not Like Us” in Super Bowl

“Salutations!” Samuel L. Jackson in “Uncle Sam”, kicked off the Super Bowl LIX’s halftime show by introducing Lamar. Began with “GNX”, smoothly transitioning into “Squabble Up”. Over the 13-minute performance, the stage was under his thumb. Dancers in red, white, and blue joined him, their patriotic attire contrasting sharply with the narrative. Despite the colors, “Uncle Sam” still labeled them as “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto,” admonishing them to “play by the rules.” Afterwards, Lamar ignited the stage, delivering electrifying “Humble.”, “DNA.”, “Euphoria”, and “Man At The Garden”.

“Scorekeeper, deduct one life,” Jackson interrupted again. Lamar then had “peakboo”, teasing the audience with a tantalizing hint of “Not Like Us”. “I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue,” Lamar quipped to the female dancers behind him, a clear allusion at Drake. 

Before the performance, details were kept tightly under wraps. Lamar had been dedicated to put his passion for storytelling into the spectacle, with SZA being the only announced guest performer previously. They brought “Luther” and “All the Stars” to the audience.

After deliberately carrying out the intro of “Not Like Us” twice, Lamar delivered the hit single (with the word “pedophile” omitted from the lyrics), arousing an explosive reaction from the audience. During this song, a dancer suddenly raised a flag that was a mixture of Palestine and Sudan. He was then removed from the stage by security personnel. The halftime show ended with “TV Off” with a surprise guest, DJ Mustard, who had not been announced beforehand. Another unexpected appearance came from tennis legend Serena Williams, who joined in by dancing the iconic “Crip Walk”. Though born in Michigan, Serena grew up in Compton, California—the same city where Lamar was born and raised. 

This year’s halftime stage featured multiple spaces, each shaped like buttons on a PlayStation controller. Shelley Rodgers, creative director for the show, explained in an interview that this was Lamar’s idea, aiming to convey the concept that his life feels like a video game. “I think (the theme) is symbolic of how he connects with the youth. So many elements reflect his journey through the American Dream,” she said.

Lamar did not perform his art only, but he made us think. His socially conscious lyrics have driven the process of cultural identification and social identification. With the youth are more fond of “Brat” culture nowadays, work from artists are demonstrating and helping them to perceive the world in a more creative way. Thus more and more human beings are starting to reflect on the society and make changes. In a world where media often focuses on superficiality, Lamar stands out as a beacon of authenticity and depth. He reminds us of the power of music not just to entertain but to provoke thought and drive positive social change.

Written by Jiayi Du