Kendrick Lamar made history as the first solo hip-hop artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show, delivering a powerful 13-minute performance that included his controversial Drake diss track "Not Like Us."

The performance opened with Lamar atop a 1987 Buick GNX, performing "GNX" followed by "Squabble Up." Dancers in red, white, and blue formed an American flag formation, while Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, served as an antagonist throughout the show.

The setlist included a powerful mixture of Lamar's hits:

• "Humble"
• "DNA"
• "Euphoria"
• "man at the garden"
• "peekaboo"
• "Luther" and "All the Stars" (featuring SZA)
• "Not Like Us"

Despite speculation about potential legal complications due to Drake's ongoing lawsuit against Universal Music Group, Lamar performed "Not Like Us" in its entirety, though notably omitting the word "pedophile" from the lyrics. The song, which recently achieved a billion Spotify streams in record time, also earned Lamar both Song and Record of the Year at the recent Grammy Awards.

This marks Lamar's second Super Bowl appearance, following his 2022 performance alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, and 50 Cent. When announced as the 2025 halftime performer, Lamar stated, "Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date, and I'll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one."

The historic performance's impact on Drake's ongoing defamation lawsuit against UMG remains to be seen.

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