With a triumphant Super Bowl 2025 halftime performance, Kendrick Lamar declared “Game Over” in his ongoing battle with rapper Drake.

Kendrick Lamar gave his all in his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. The rapper, who has been the most talked-about artist in the past two weeks, invited SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, and Mustard to join him in this performance, celebrating Compton on the world’s biggest stage—an event that captivated the entire United States.

The show, featuring an American flag color scheme, primarily included tracks from his newly released album GNX as well as some other songs from Kendrick Lamar’s discography. With Jackson hosting the event (dressed as Uncle Sam), Lamar commanded a powerful team of backup dancers, who moved in and out of formation as he performed tracks like “DNA,” “Peekaboo,” “Squabble Up,” and “Humble.”

The breathtaking stage design for Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl 2025 performance on the morning of February 10. (Photo: AP)

Kendrick Lamar moved across the stage, a long rectangular platform scattered with streetlight poles, to perform “Man at the Garden” and “Peekaboo,” rapping in front of a group of men sitting around one of the streetlights. SZA later appeared to perform “Luther” and “All the Stars” before Lamar slid towards the end zone area. (Photo: AP)

Before the most anticipated performance of Super Bowl 2025, the million-dollar question leading up to the event was: Would Kendrick Lamar perform “Not Like Us,” the song in which he accused his rival Drake of pedophilia, on the biggest stage in the world?

The response from the hip-hop-loving public was: Why wouldn’t Kendrick Lamar do it? “Not Like Us” was the most culturally significant song of 2024 and continued its dominance this year after winning five Grammy Awards, including Song and Record of the Year.

And Kendrick Lamar did exactly that—bringing “Not Like Us” to the Super Bowl halftime show, placing it in the most crucial spot: the grand finale. Before performing “Not Like Us,” the explosive hit from last year’s lyrical feud with Drake, Lamar stood in an X formation on the field and declared, “I wanted to perform their favorite song, but you know, they love to sue.” This was a direct jab at the legal action Drake had taken against Universal Music Group for releasing and promoting “Not Like Us.”

This moment solidified Lamar as the ultimate winner in his ongoing rap feud with Drake, turning the Super Bowl stadium into a street party as dozens of dancers—along with tennis star Serena Williams—moved to the beat. Although Kendrick omitted the word “pedophile” in his live performance, he let the crowd chant “A minor,” adding more fuel to the fire. The grand finale? Kendrick Lamar ended his performance with the words “TV Off,” grinning at the camera as “Game Over” lit up the crowd behind him.

Kendrick Lamar stands at the center of his dancers, forming the American flag during “Humble.” (Photo: AP)

The Halftime Show heavily centered on Lamar, who had previously turned the Super Bowl stage into a parade when he made a surprise guest appearance in 2022. He opened the show with an unreleased song that had been teased on YouTube just hours before GNX debuted. (Photo: AP)

This wasn’t Kendrick Lamar’s first time at the Super Bowl. He previously appeared in the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show in 2022 alongside hip-hop and R&B legends. During that 15-minute performance, he shared the stage with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Anderson .Paak, creating a cinematic spectacle that bridged generations.

Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl 2025 performance followed a remarkable year of achievements that began with his culture-shifting verse on “Like That” by Future and Metro Boomin, released in March last year. In the song, he called out Drake and J. Cole for labeling him as part of hip-hop’s “Big Three,” a title he rejected, igniting a lyrical war between the trio.

While J. Cole quickly withdrew from the battle, Lamar and Drake exchanged diss tracks for months, hurling accusations of infidelity and pedophilia. The feud reached its peak in May when Lamar released “Not Like Us,” a Mustard-produced track that quickly became an anthem for the West Coast.

(Photo: AP)

With the biggest hit from his battle with Drake, Kendrick Lamar emerged—perhaps controversially—as the victor. “Not Like Us” immediately became a massive success, breaking streaming records and becoming his first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. Earlier this month, he celebrated a huge win at the 2025 Grammy Awards, taking home five trophies, including Best Song for “Not Like Us.”

Amid the continued success of “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar unexpectedly released his latest album, GNX, in November after rumors swirled that he had been working tirelessly on a new project. GNX topped the Billboard 200 chart, becoming his fifth consecutive No. 1 album, with all 12 tracks debuting on the Hot 100, five of which landed in the top positions.

All these resounding victories have set the stage for Lamar’s upcoming Grand National Tour with SZA. The tour is set to kick off on April 19 in Minneapolis, MN, making stops in Atlanta, East Rutherford, and Los Angeles before concluding at Northwest Stadium in Washington, D.C., on June 18.