Kendrick’s Super Bowl LIX: The Downfall of the Chiefs Dynasty and Drake
On February 9, 2025, three years after his feature in the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show among numerous rap and R&B icons, twenty-two time Grammy winner, Kendrick Lamar, performed alongside special guests in the 59th annual Super Bowl’s halftime show. Super Bowl LIX took place at Caesars Superdome located in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Philadelphia Eagles led 24 to 0 against the Kansas City Chiefs before Lamar took the stage.
The performance began with special guest Samuel L. Jackson impersonating the patriotic symbol, Uncle Sam, which then led into Lamar opening with an unreleased song. The entirety of the performance was immensely rooted with symbolism, from the use of video game graphics, to a color scheme that visualized the current political division in America. Lamar’s backup dancers emerged from a car sporting red, white, and blue clothing where they eventually united to form an American flag as he sang his three-time Grammy award winning song, “Humble.”
Prior to Lamar’s performance, anticipation grew on whether or not he would play his Grammy winning track, “Not Like Us,” which is a dig at the rapper Drake, and has also spent months at the top of Billboard Charts. Lamar used the crowd’s suspense to his advantage, he hinted at playing the song several times, before finally fulfilling expectations. The rapper was joined on stage by DJ Mustard, Serena Williams, and fellow 2025 Grammy award winner, SZA. Lamar and SZA played two of their eagerly-awaited hit collaborations, “luther” and “All The Stars.”
While Kendrick Lamar did not directly confirm that this performance was a political statement, his message “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music,” does not allow much room for an opposing interpretation. The Super Bowl 2025 half-time show was not only a form of entertainment, but an evocative message as well.
