The Iconic Moments & Missed Opportunities of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

It’s been a near-year-long road to the Big Game for Kendrick Lamar, whose 2024 crescendoed from March onward, to the point where the rapper — who had long seemed conflicted about the idea of crossover success — ended the year as our editorial staff’s pick for the year’s Greatest Pop Star. He’s picked up right where he left off so far in 2025, not only continuing to dominate the Billboard charts with his various GNX hits and other assorted 2024 leftovers, but also going 5-for-5 at this month’s Grammys, and now playing the biggest gig known to man at Sunday’s (Feb. 9) Super Bowl LIX.

On this bonus episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staffers Meghan Mahar and Eric Frankenberg to give our morning-after reactions to the performance — what about it worked for us, what about it felt like a potential missed opportunity, and what it all means for his stardom moving forward. How did we feel about the GNX-heavy setlist? Was the show lacking in big surprises, or in big statements (and was it even fair for anyone to expect more of either)? Was that “Say Drake” smile the all-time moment? And does this performance vault Kendrick into yet another new inner circle of pop stardom — the most exclusive one we have?

Check it out above and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!