Opinion: Hidden references viewers might have missed in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime performance

Samantha Harden
Tue, 11 Feb 2025 05:16:07 +0000
Arts & Life, Entertainment, Instagram Page, Music, News, Opinion, bloods, Buick GNX, California gang violence, California gangs, Compton, concert, Crip walk, crips, DJ Mustard, drake, Drake Kendrick Beef, Football, Game Over, GNX, halftime, halftime performance, halftime show, hidden messages, humble, kansas city chiefs, kendrick lamar, music, Mustard, national football league, new orleans, NFL [and 14 more]

Kendrick Lamar performs during the halftime show of the NFL Super Bowl LIX game Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. Credit: David Maialetti via TNS

Most Super Bowl halftime shows are designed to be a spectacle, but rapper Kendrick Lamar’s performance Sunday night was more than that — it was a statement.?

Last spring, Lamar and fellow artist Drake reignited their long-standing rivalry with a series of diss tracks, culminating in Lamar’s blistering responses with songs like “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us” — the latter earning him five Grammy wins this year — which many fans viewed as a decisive victory in the feud.?

But Lamar wasn’t done playing the game.?

Blending deep cultural symbolism with surprise celebrity appearances, Lamar’s halftime show was nothing short of unforgettable. Here are some of the details you might have missed.?

The “Gloria” jacket?

One of the most striking elements of the performance was Lamar’s outfit choice, which included a blue leather varsity jacket with the name “Gloria” emblazoned across the front.?

For longtime fans of the rapper, one truth is certain: everything holds meaning.?

“Gloria,” which translates to “glory” in Spanish, represents rap glory and the artistic journey it embodies. This is something Lamar brings to life in his song “Gloria,” the closing track on his November 2024 album “GNX.”

The custom jacket, from London-based menswear designer Martine Rose, also features patches with lyrics from the album, along with a large “Pg Lang” applique on the back — a reference to Lamar’s own record label.?

The “a” pendant?

Beyond the “Gloria” jacket, Lamar also made a pointed statement with his jewelry. Around his neck, he wore a bold chain featuring a lowercase “a” pendant. The symbol was a clear nod to his lyrics in “Not Like Us,” in which he raps, “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-minor,” taking a jab at Drake.

Yet, the chain seems to carry a double meaning, also alluding to Drake’s feud with musician and producer Pharrell Williams, who worked closely with Lamar on his May 2022 album “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.” In November 2022, Drake bought Williams’ bold, oversized chains —?a style Lamar mirrored with his “a” pendant —?in an auction and later rapped about melting them down on his feature in rapper Travis Scott’s August 2023 track “MELTDOWN.”?

The leather gloves?

In line with his other fashion statements, Lamar took the stage wearing a pair of black leather gloves — a detail many fans believe is a nod to the cover of his May 2024 diss track, “6:16 IN LA.”?

The cover features a Maybach driving glove belonging to Drake, making Lamar’s choice of gloves feel like another subtle yet targeted taunt.?

The Buick GNX?

Lamar kicked off his set perched on the hood of a black Buick GNX, a vehicle that holds deep personal significance for the rapper.?

More than just a symbol of classic American muscle, the car is a direct nod to Lamar’s journey from Compton, California, to superstardom. Now the namesake of his latest album, the GNX represents both the struggles he has overcome and the triumphs he has achieved.?

Lamar’s red, white and blue backup dancers?

At first glance, Lamar’s choice to have his backup dancers clad in solid red, white and blue might appear to reference gang culture —?crips dressing in blue and bloods in red —?but the decision actually carries a much deeper political meaning.?

At one point during the performance, the dancers formed the American flag, with Lamar literally dividing them — a powerful symbol of America’s current divisions, particularly highlighting the struggles Black artists face while navigating the complexities of fame, power and societal expectations.?

Serena Willams and the crip walk

Taking viewers by surprise, 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams joined Lamar on stage for a brief but memorable five seconds, crip walking during Lamar’s performance of “Not Like Us.”?

Williams’ appearance was significant for multiple reasons. Like Lamar, she hails from Compton, a city deeply tied to the history of hip-hop. She also shares Lamar’s distaste for Drake, as the two were rumored to have dated years ago.?

Drake has previously mentioned Williams in his 2013 track “Worst Behavior” and in his 2022 song “Middle of the Ocean,” in which he dissed her husband, Alexis Ohanian, calling him a “groupie.” Lamar alludes to this tension in “Not Like Us,” seemingly warning Drake “he better not speak on Serena.”?

The references don’t stop there, as Williams’ dance also holds personal significance, echoing her iconic celebration in London after defeating Maria Sharapova to win the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. At the time, the tennis player faced heavy criticism from commentators, who deemed her celebration crass and inappropriate.?

Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam?

In an unexpected twist, Lamar’s performance opened with actor Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam — a well-known symbol of the U.S. government — warning the rapper not to do anything “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.”

But Jackson’s presence wasn’t just for dramatic effect, as his character praised Lamar for “slowing things down” before his performance of “Not Like Us.” This moment was a pointed critique of the ways mainstream institutions attempt to control and censor artists who challenge the status quo.?

By incorporating Uncle Sam, a figure often associated with authority and regulation, Lamar emphasized the ongoing struggle for artistic freedom and the pressure artists face when speaking truth to power, suggesting that their voices are often stifled or manipulated by those in charge.?

Walking Drake down?

After teasing the crowd earlier in the performance — acknowledging that he knew they were waiting for their “favorite song” — Lamar finally delivered, launching into “Not Like Us” and quite literally walking Drake down in the process.?

In rap terms, to “walk down” means to methodically and aggressively attack an opponent through lyrics, overwhelming them with sharp insults and dominant wordplay — much like a boxer closing in on their rival, refusing to let them escape.?

As he performed, Lamar walked Drake down in both a lyrical and literal sense, striding across the Super Bowl stage with four backup dancers in toe, bringing with him the same relentless energy he has always brought to their feud.?

Mustard

Joined at centerfield by his Los Angeles-based producer, DJ Mustard, Lamar closed out his halftime show with a performance of one of his latest tracks, “tv off.”?

In essence, Lamar transformed the song’s chorus into a bold taunt directed at the millions watching, suggesting they might as well just turn their TVs off because nothing coming next would top what they had just witnessed.?

“Game over”?

Lamar never held back during his feud with Drake, and there was no reason to expect he would stop when he hit the biggest stage in football Sunday night.?

Midway through his performance of “Not Like Us,” Lamar emphasized the words, “They tried to rig the game, but you can’t fake influence,” before smiling and mentioning Drake by name. This line served as a direct response to Drake’s recent lawsuit claiming Lamar’s track was defamatory, also reinforcing Lamar’s dominance in the music industry.?

The set ultimately concluded with the words “Game over” lighting up the stands, leaving no doubt for the audience about who had claimed victory.