Did Kendrick fumble the Super Bowl halftime show? Honestly… yeah, I think he did. Now, don’t get me wrong—he didn’t do a bad job. The dancers were incredible, the energy was there, and Kendrick himself was solid. But did it blow me away? Not really.
I think my expectations were just way too high. Kendrick is an incredible performer, and I still remember how amazing he was during the Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre halftime show. I was expecting that—but on a whole other level. And I just didn’t get that.
What was missing? His hits. He performed a lot of songs from his GNX album, which makes sense since he has a stadium tour with SZA coming up. It felt more like a promo for the tour than a true Super Bowl moment. I get it, but I really wish he had mixed in more of his biggest songs.
That being said, I did love that he performed “HUMBLE.”—definitely one of my favorite parts. And when he brought out SZA for “All the Stars,” that was a moment! She sounded amazing. I think he also did “DNA.”, and of course, he had to close with “Not Like Us.”
But where was “LOYALTY.”? “LOVE.”? “Alright”? Or even “B, Don’t Kill My Vibe.”*? And imagine if he had performed “Poetic Justice.”! I know he and Drake aren’t exactly on good terms, but he could have brought out Janet Jackson instead. That would’ve been iconic, since the song samples Anytime, Anyplace.
At the end of the day, it was a solid performance—but it didn’t give me that wow factor. What do y’all think? Did Kendrick deliver, or was it a little underwhelming? Let’s discuss!
If Kendrick had brought Janet out, it would’ve been one of the most legendary Super Bowl moments ever. I mean, imagine the full-circle impact—Janet, who was blacklisted for years after the infamous wardrobe malfunction, finally getting her moment of redemption on that stage. It would’ve been huge.
But he didn’t. And honestly? I was underwhelmed.
Now, don’t get me wrong—his performance was good. For a concert, it would’ve been amazing. But this is the Super Bowl. You have to go all out, and Kendrick just didn’t hit that level for me.
That said, I did appreciate the creative direction. The choreography was tight, and I loved how he repped West Coast culture. The dancers in red and blue symbolizing the Bloods and Crips coming together—that was a powerful statement. Then there was the moment where they formed an American flag, while Samuel L. Jackson played Uncle Sam, telling them they were “too loud” and “too ghetto.” And let’s be real, a lot of conservatives watching were definitely thinking the same thing.
The whole set had a video game vibe, too. It looked like a PlayStation theme, and at the very end, Kendrick hit us with a “Game Over.” No subtlety there—that was a direct shot at Drake, basically saying, “I won.”
But… did he really?
He performed Not Like Us and went all in. At one point, he looked right into the camera and said, “Drake, I heard you like ’em young.” He didn’t hold back at all, despite the legal risks. We know Drake sued UMG over the song, claiming defamation, and now Kendrick just performed it in front of the entire world. Honestly, that might actually help Drake’s case.
This performance is definitely going to spark some backlash. But Kendrick knew what he was doing. There was no way he wasn’t going to perform the biggest song of the year—the one that won five Grammys and got the loudest reaction of the night.
And yet… even in what was supposed to be his moment, the conversation still leads back to Drake.
Which is why I say—Kendrick kind of fumbled.
Kendrick Lamar was making a statement—he even wore a lowercase “a” chain as a nod to his “a minor” lyric. If it wasn’t obvious before, it was now: he was coming for Drake.
Then, in a moment that had everyone talking, Serena Williams popped up during his halftime performance. Now, we all know Serena used to date Drake, and when she moved on to her husband, Drake made sure to throw some shade. So, her showing up? That definitely felt like a little get back. Sure, she was representing Compton, but let’s be real—Kendrick brought her out just to rub it in Drake’s face.
At that point, I started to feel like Kendrick was getting a little lost in the sauce. It wasn’t just a performance anymore—it was about Drake.
If I had to rate it, I’d give it a 6 out of 10. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything mind-blowing either. Compared to other halftime shows, it just didn’t hit the same. I mean, think about Beyoncé’s Christmas halftime show. She didn’t even perform her biggest hits—just songs from Cowboy Carter—and yet, she made it feel like a moment.
Kendrick definitely brought the energy, and his dancers killed it. But something was missing.
Now, I already know some Kendrick fans are going to be mad about this—but I have to be honest: I was underwhelmed.
That said, it wasn’t terrible. Some people online are acting like it was the worst halftime show ever, and even The Daily Mail wrote an article trashing it. But let’s be real—the actual worst halftime show? That belongs to Maroon 5. That was just painful.
Kendrick’s performance wasn’t on that level—it was okay. The issue? The audience.
They weren’t feeling it.
And honestly, I could tell from the start that this wasn’t the right crowd for him. The moment that really sealed it? When Donald Trump popped up on the screen, and the whole stadium started cheering. And then—this is what really threw me—they booed Taylor Swift.
[Applause]
[Applause]
Taylor Swift. Getting booed.
For a second, I was like, Wait… isn’t she America’s sweetheart? Their superstar? What happened?
Then it hit me—Taylor endorsed Kamala Harris for president. That must’ve rubbed a lot of her conservative fans the wrong way. That’s probably why she got that reaction.
And that also explains why Kendrick’s performance didn’t land the way it should have. This audience just wasn’t his audience. So, all these clips going around trying to prove Kendrick had the “worst halftime show ever” don’t really mean much. It wasn’t the worst. It just wasn’t for them.
Kanye West Is Jealous of Kendrick Lamar
Now, let’s talk about Kanye—because, of course, he had to make it about himself.
He went on Twitter and decided to drag Kendrick into some mess, saying:
“Let me start off by saying I have hit women before…”
Excuse me… what?!
At this point, Kanye just incriminates himself for fun. He continued:
“Drake said Kendrick hit his girl, but that is not recorded on tape like the Puff video. I’m in LA right now at the Four Seasons. I’m risking my life to tweet this, so walk with me. Drake says Kendrick hit his queen. The world sees Puff hit Cassie. Kendrick is at the Super Bowl. Puff is in jail. They pick which ends they want to prop up and who they want to put down, and when they want to. But all celebrities are scared and selfish. We sit in our mansions, get extorted by our so-called family and friends, and bees. I am in LA. Ends will want to end or succeed at killing me for this one tweet alone. I’ve offended ends, honkies, Jews, and fat bees. A fat bee may try to kill me. Really, Kanye? Really? If this is my last day on Earth, play this in my movie and play the fat B part too—because I’m funny, and all you ends is funny to me.”
Yeah… this man is gone.
We all know Kanye is off his meds, but this? This isn’t funny. The offensive, unhinged things he keeps posting—and the way he’s defending P. Diddy—is just straight-up disturbing.
Kanye, are you on those Diddy tapes? That’s what we really want to know! Because the way you’re riding for this man is looking real suspect.
And let’s talk about something else—why was he mocking that disturbing video of Cassie getting assaulted by Diddy? That was beyond foul. On top of that, he’s out here selling the same hoodie she was wearing in that video? That’s just diabolical. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cassie took legal action against him for that.
Then there’s the whole Kendrick situation. Kanye brought up the rumor about Kendrick allegedly putting his hands on his girl—why? Nobody even knows if that’s true. There was one woman who claimed it happened, but there’s no real proof. And let’s not forget, it was Drake who pushed that narrative during their rap beef, which was messy and out of line.
Now, here’s the irony—Drake is out here suing the label because he’s mad about Kendrick spreading his business, but wasn’t he doing the same thing by throwing out unverified rumors? But that’s another conversation.
What really stood out was Kanye asking, “Why do people celebrate Kendrick but villainize Diddy?” Now, that was weird. It made me think—oh, so Kanye is mad that Kendrick got to perform at the Super Bowl?
Charlamagne Tha God actually pointed this out first. He said Kanye is acting out because he’s jealous of the attention Kendrick is getting. And honestly? I agree. Kanye wants that moment for himself. Kendrick took down his biggest opponent, Drake, and now he’s getting all this praise for being a lyrical genius. That’s what Kanye wishes was happening for him.
So what’s he doing instead? Stirring up drama. He’s been on X all week saying the most outrageous, attention-seeking things to get people talking. But the truth is—nobody really cares anymore. The antics are old.
And you know what’s funny? The second Kendrick’s Super Bowl performance ended, Kanye deactivated his account. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Charlamagne was spot on—Kanye was doing all this because he couldn’t stand Kendrick getting the spotlight. It’s so obvious.
But what do y’all think? Drop your thoughts in the comments, like the video, subscribe, and share if you’re rocking with this take!