Samuel L. Jackson in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl 2025 halftime show performance
Kendrick Lamar brought the house down at the Super Bowl — with a cameo by Samuel L. Jackson.
The 22-time Grammy Award winner performed a medley of his greatest hits — including the Drake diss track “Not Like Us” — for the halftime show at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday.
Jackson, 76, introduced Lamar, 37, at the start of the performance.
The rapper wore a blue jacket with a black shirt, black backwards hat and blue jeans for the start of his performance. He was surrounded by backup dancers who formed an American flag while dressed in red, white and blue.
Jackson interrupted Lamar more than once during the performance as “Uncle Sam.” On one occasion, the actor yelled, “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game?”
Lamar sang “Squabble,” “Humble” and “Peekaboo” by himself, before he was joined by SZA for duets to their collabs “Luther” and “All the Stars.”
Lamar then performed the Drake diss track “Not Like Us” — but he took out the “pedophile” lyric. The scathing song about Drake, 38, won Lamar the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year last weekend.
Fellow Compton-native Serena Williams also made a brief cameo during the halftime show. The tennis star, 43, reportedly dated Drake around 2011.
Lamar’s halftime show followed the pre-game performances by Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shorty, who sang “America the Beautiful,” Ledisi, who sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and Jon Batiste, who sang the national anthem.
Usher did the halftime show at last year’s Super Bowl. He was joined onstage by special guests Alicia Keys, H.E.R, Ludacris and Lil Jon.
The 2023 halftime show was headlined by Rihanna, who revealed her pregnancy with her second child on the stage. The 2022 halftime show was a star-studded hip-hip mashup featuring Lamar, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent.
Lamar was announced as the 2025 Super Bowl halftime performer in Sept. 2024.
“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,” he said at the time.
Jay-Z, whose entertainment company Roc Nation produces the halftime show, said in a statement, “Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer. His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision. He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”
Three days before the Super Bowl, Lamar did a rare interview at Apple Music’s Super Bowl press conference where he reflected on how far he’s come in his career.
“A lot of people don’t see the story before the glory,” Lamar said. “I don’t take it for granted at all. … My intent, I think from day one, was to always to keep the nature of it as a sport. I don’t care how motherfuckers look at it as far as a collaborative effort, that’s cool too, but I love when artists grit they teeth. I still watch battle raps… This has always been the core definition of who I am.”
