Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show

Source: Gregory Shamus / Getty

Kendrick Lamar kept the (petty) pressure on Drake during the Super Bowl halftime show, blessing fans with bars and banter about someone filing a lawsuit.

Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show

Source: Gregory Shamus / Getty

The Compton rapper was joined by Hollywood legend Samuel L. Jackson, who appeared as Uncle Sam during the show-stopping spectacle. King Kendrick delivered a medley of his most massive hits, including “Squabble Up,” “HUMBLE.,” “DNA.,” and “Peekaboo.”

Throughout the performance, Uncle Sam attempted to regulate Kendrick’s set and keep it politically correct and not “ghetto.” However, in true Kendrick fashion, he defied the control and pushed back against the system.

Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show

Source: Jamie Squire / Getty

 

 

Before diving into his Grammy-winning diss “Not Like Us,” Kendrick mocked Drake’s defamation lawsuit against UMG. As previously reported, the Canadian rhyme slinger accused UMG of releasing and promoting a song that Drake claims defamed him after initially filing a petition accusing the label of inflating streams for “Not Like Us.”

“I wanna perform your favorite song, but you know they like to sue,” said Kendrick.

Before getting too deep in the diss track trenches, Lamar brought out SZA for back-to-back bangers, “Luther” and “All the Stars,” as the songstress belted out her best vocals.

Eventually, Kendrick performed “Not Like Us,” but strategically sidestepped the “pedophile” lyric. He did not, however, sidestep one line in particular; “Say Drake…I heard you like ’em young.”

 

 

 

Super Bowl LIX watchers have harped on that moment in particular with hilarious memes and reactions, including some to the moment Drake’s ex, Serena Williams, another Compton legend, crip walked to the song.

 

Near the end of the set, Kendrick performed “TV Off” alongside DJ Mustard himself, who got fans hyped with his infectious energy. Kendrick’s performance concluded with the final nail in the coffin, the words: “Game over.”

Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show

Source: Gregory Shamus / Getty

This marks K.Dot’s second time gracing the Super Bowl stage, following his 2022 performance in the hip-hop Hall of Fame halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent.

Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show

Source: Patrick Smith / Getty

What do YOU think about Kendrick’s Super Bowl halftime performance?