From Uncle Sam to the final coffin nails being nailed in for Drake following the beef.
Kendrick Lamar promised “storytelling” in his Super Bowl Halftime performance in New Orleans, and over 13 minutes, he delivered a career-spanning set packed with visual and cultural symbolism. Against a backdrop of dancers dressed in red, white, and blue, Lamar not only addressed a politically divided America but also seemingly closed the chapter on his long-running feud with Drake.
Before the performance began, the field at Caesar’s Superdome was illuminated with nine squares featuring Xs, Os, and triangles. Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam (a reference to the American icon along with a reference to the storyline of Lamar’s 2015 studio album, “To Pimip A Butterfly”), welcomed viewers, setting the stage for a performance rich in layered meaning. Above Lamar, who knelt in front of a Buick GNX, the lights spelled out “START HERE.” His denim jacket featured “Gloria” on the back, a reference to the closing track of his latest album “GNX”.
Lamar and art director Shelley Rodgers appeared to draw parallels between video games and Lamar’s American experience, both culturally and politically. The illuminated shapes referenced PlayStation controller symbols, and the phrase “START HERE” was a familiar gaming directive. The four stages themselves were shaped like the PlayStation controller, a detail Rodgers confirmed in an interview with Wired.
“I think the was symbolic, his way to reach young people,” Rodgers explained. “A lot of it is showing his journey, traveling through the American dream.”
Jackson’s Uncle Sam character embodied the American political establishment, a notion reinforced when he interrupted Lamar’s performance of “Squabble Up” from his 2024 album.
“Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto,” Jackson remarked.
Lamar followed up with “HUMBLE” and “DNA.”, as an army of dancers clad in red, white, and blue moved in formation. At one point, they assembled into an American flag, their backs turned to each other, visually representing America’s deep divisions.
Later, the lights in the stadium spelled out “WARNING WRONG WAY.” This could have been a reference to video games, a critique of America’s political trajectory, or a nod to his feud with Drake, which culminated in the 5-time Grammy-winning diss track “Not Like Us.”
Speculation surrounded whether Lamar would perform the song in its entirety, as Drake had filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group over a lyric accusing him of inappropriate behaviour. Lamar omitted the controversial lyric but acknowledged the lawsuit with a pointed remark:
“I want to perform their favourite song, but you know they love to sue.”
He modified a line from “Not Like Us” that originally referenced Drake’s 2021 album Certified Lover Boy, replacing the final word with a sound effect. However, he did retain the line, “Say Drake, I hear you like em young”, while staring straight at the camera with a grin.
Throughout the performance, Lamar wore a necklace with a lowercase “a.” Some saw this as a reference to his company pgLang, while others linked it to a lyric from “Not Like Us”: “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A Minor”, which almost all 83,000 people in Caesar Superdome, sang out in sync.
Two special guests joined him on stage: SZA and Serena Williams. SZA performed parts of their collaborations “Luther” and “All the Stars,” with “All the Stars” receiving a huge ovation, while Williams executed a solo dance, revisiting the “crip walk” that once sparked controversy when she performed it at Wimbledon in 2012. The dance, associated with the Crips, involves foot movements that spell out C-R-I-P.
Drake had previously dated both women—SZA in 2009 and Williams in 2015. The reference to SZA was first revealed in Drake’s song “Mr. Right Now,” though she later clarified the timeline. Williams was directly mentioned in “Not Like Us,” where Lamar warned Drake to avoid speaking about her.
Lamar’s halftime show wove together multiple themes, delivering a performance that was both broadly symbolic and deeply personal. Though interpretations will continue to emerge, he appeared to close out the night—and possibly his feud—with one final message, displayed in the crowd lights: GAME OVER.
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