Against the Kansas City Chiefs, halftime breaks provided the gateway for what some argue is the most interesting aspect of the Super Bowl: The Halftime Show.

This year’s concert was performed by Compton-born Kendrick Lamar, who has rocked the Billboard charts since 2012. Following his five Grammy wins for his single Not Like Us, Lamar was targeted by a lawsuit in which rapper Drake sued Lamar for slander and defamation. As such, before his Super Bowl show, Lamar was told not to perform Not Like Us, which caused anticipation around whether or not he would.

“I thought that the lawsuit made the show more interesting, especially because I wanted to see him sing it,” replied Hudson Beuth ’27.

With 127.7 million viewers, the most in Super Bowl history, Lamar commenced with a guest appearance from actor Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam (a somewhat mocking depiction of the U.S. government), announced the beginning of the show, and from there, Lamar went off.

Viewers saw him stand on top of his Buick Grand National, a sign of Los Angeles pride and a symbol of Lamar’s legacy. He rhymed away, opening the act with Squabble Up, a hit off of his album GNX. Soon, Jackson interrupted, exclaiming that Lamar’s performance was “too ghetto,” alluding to the racist suppression that Black artists experience when speaking the truths of systemic racism. However, Lamar retaliated and played his two famous but controversial hits: HUMBLE. and DNA.

Both songs attribute to the pressures of white audiences, especially DNA., in which Lamar samples FOX newscasters who criticize rap music. Kendrick brought out SZA for their hits Luther and All the Stars, as well as Compton-born former tennis player Serena Williams.

This is likely due to her past relations with Drake. Drake and Serena both dated on and off for some years, but they later broke up, and Drake continued to “diss” Serena and her husband after they married. When Serena “crip-walked” on stage next to Lamar, it aimed yet another insult at Drake’s misogynistic agenda, which Lamar addresses in his single Euphoria. Lamar also brought out producer Mustard, who co-created two hit tracks for Lamar and is also from LA.

Lamar then transitioned to a call-and-response with backup dancers, followed by the strings that teased Not Like Us. As the beat finally dropped, the Super Bowl crowd, consisting of over 60,000 people, sang the track word-for-word, and millions watching on television yelled “A-minor!” This was yet another brutal blow against Drake regarding his long list of alleged involvements with minors.

Kendrick Lamar has had one of the most successful years in music history, and he is still breaking hip-hop records. Not Like Us remains on the Billboard Top 100, along with seven of his other songs.

All in all, King Aberman ’27 said it best: “What a year for Kendrick Lamar.”