Rapper, songwriter and producer, Kendrick Lamar performed the half-time show at Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9. He became the first solo hip-hop artist to headline the coveted slot.
Source: Instagram, @CNN
Source: Instagram, @sza
His performance began with Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as “Uncle Sam,” standing on the stage designed to look like a Playstation controller. Lamar’s dancers were donned in red, white and blue, sticking to the patriotic theme.
SZA, an artist that Lamar often collaborates with, joined his performance singing their joint songs “Luther” and “All the Stars.”
“SZA was my favorite part of the halftime performance. I think her part was very angelic and a great feature to the vibe of the halftime show. Overall, it gave the performance a lighter, more upbeat vibe,” said freshman Dina Music. “She is also one of my favorite artists. I am a pretty big fan of Kendrick Lamar as well. I spent most of my junior year [of high school] doing a project on one of his albums.”
Freshman Donatella Maharaj didn’t feel the same.
“I wasn’t a big fan of the halftime performance, I don’t listen to Kendrick Lamar, so I already knew this before watching the show,” said Maharaj.
Lamar has been working in the music industry since the release of his first song in 2003. He won his first Grammy in 2015 and swept all the categories he was nominated for a few weeks ago at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Known for his deep lyricism, he became the first rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize in music for his song “DAMN.,” in 2018, according to the Pulitzer website.
Prior to Lamar’s halftime performance, he promised to, “keep his passion for storytelling,” which showed through various visuals and dances conveyed with each song.
Lamar played his five-time Grammy Award-winning song, “Not Like Us,” a diss track of longtime rival Drake. In response, Drake sued Universal Music Group for defamation, alleging the song promotes false pedophilia allegations against him and suggests listeners resort to vigilante justice.
“I did notice Kendrick was conveying a shady message to Drake about his song ‘Not Like Us.’ I expected and was hoping for SZA to perform longer,” said Maharaj.
Towards the end of his performance, one of the dancers stood with a Palestine flag. Kendrick and the rest of the dancers claim to have no prior knowledge of this being in a plan for the performance. This performer was threatened with criminal charges.
Despite the controversy, freshman Leila Gutic found great importance and enjoyment in the halftime show.
“I thought the halftime performance was the best one I have seen in years. I thought there were a lot of powerful messages, and it wasn’t just pure entertainment. Kendrick had a message for his performance, and he conveyed this well. The fact that he referenced Drake a few times made it more entertaining,” said Gutic.
The Associated Press and Alessia Catino contributed to this article.
