Kendrick Lamar took the field at Super Bowl LIX on Sunday to cap a watershed year in his career, which has yielded three No. 1 songs, a No. 1 album, five Grammy Awards, and a decisive victory in his rap beef with Drake.
Lamar was joined onstage by SZA, his longtime collaborator and Top Dawg labelmate, as well as his “Not Like Us” producer, DJ Mustard. The performance was narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, who satirically teased Lamar for being “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto” while dressed as Uncle Sam.
Jackson’s role underscored the performance’s red, white, and blue motifs and American flag iconography, suggesting a deeper commentary on what constitutes “American” music, especially when it’s made by Black artists.
Below is every song in Lamar’s halftime show setlist, listed in chronological order.
“Squabble Up”
Lamar opened his performance with a teaser from an unreleased song, which fans have tentatively dubbed “Bodies,” before transitioning into “Squabble Up.”
“Squabble Up” was released as the second track on Lamar’s latest album, “GNX,” and promoted as the lead single.
It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Lamar the first solo male artist to have three instant chart-toppers in a single year.
“Humble”
“Humble” was released as the lead single from Lamar’s fourth studio album, “Damn.,” which won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Music.
“DNA”
“DNA” is the second track on “Damn.” The song famously includes a clip of Fox News anchor Geraldo Rivera discussing Lamar’s lyrics in “Alright” (“This is why I say that hip-hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years”).
“Euphoria”
“Euphoria” was released amid Lamar’s recent showdown with Drake, in which the rappers swapped eight diss tracks back and forth.
“Man at the Garden”
“Man at the Garden” is the fourth track on “GNX.”
“Peekaboo”
“Peekaboo” is the ninth track on “GNX.” The studio version features AzChike.
“Luther” featuring SZA
“Luther” is the third track on “GNX.” It’s one of Lamar’s many duets with SZA, following “Babylon” (2014), “Easy Bake” (2015), and “Doves in the Wind” (2017).
The pair will embark on a co-headlining tour later this year, dubbed the Grand National Tour.
“All the Stars” featuring SZA
“All the Stars” was released as the lead single from the “Black Panther” soundtrack, which Lamar curated and executive produced. The song was nominated for best original song at the 2019 Oscars.
“Not Like Us”
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” was the centerpiece of his beef with Drake. It topped the Hot 100 for two weeks and won five Grammys, including song and record of the year.
During Lamar’s performance of the song, he omitted the word “pedophile” but kept other lyrics that directly reference their beef, including “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one,” and “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor.”
“TV Off”
“TV Off” is the seventh track on “GNX.” The studio version features Lefty Gunplay, a fellow rapper from Los Angeles.
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