section_path: History/2024–present: Aftermath of direct confrontation/Super Bowl LIX halftime show
section_name: Super Bowl LIX halftime show
paragraph_text: Super Bowl LIX halftime show
  
  On September 8, 2024, Lamar was announced as the headlining act for the February 2025 Super Bowl LIX halftime show at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. In the video announcing his selection, Lamar said "You know it's only one opportunity to win a championship. No round twos", which was interpreted as a shot against Drake, who posted a few weeks before that "we will win Game 2". Speculation arose as to whether he would incorporate "Not Like Us" into his performance. Justin Sayles of The Ringer called the halftime performance announcement as the capstone of a year that had seen Lamar "ascend to the highest levels" of popular culture, and seen Drake "sink to the lowest levels" of his career.
  
  Lamar performed "Euphoria" and "Not Like Us" during the show. He also wore a chain with a lowercase "a" on it, which was either referencing pgLang or the musical chord A minor (which also references the phrase popularised by the latter track). In an interlude during the middle of the set, Lamar teased the latter song and alluded to Drake's litigation by quipping "I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue", which was followed by a brief audio clip of the song's introduction. In another interlude after performing " All the Stars " towards the end of the set, he said "they tried to rig the game but you can't fake influence", then launched into "Not Like Us". Lamar looked directly into the camera with a smile when he rapped "Say Drake, I hear you like 'em young". The lyric including the word "pedophile" was censored, but the audience could be heard shouting the lyric "tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor" along with him a few lines later.
  
  Professional tennis player Serena Williams, who shares Lamar's hometown of Compton, made a cameo appearance as a dancer doing a crip walk during "Not Like Us", a reference to Williams performing a similar dance after her victory at the 2012 Summer Olympics, for which she faced some criticism. Williams's appearance was also received as a diss towards Drake, with whom she was rumored to have dated several years earlier.
  
  The critical response to the performance was positive. Lisa Respers France of CNN called "Not Like Us" the star of the halftime performance, while Maria Sherman of the Associated Press called Lamar performing the song on the biggest stage in U.S. sports a few days after it swept the Grammy Awards "another step in Lamar's continued victory lap".
  
  On September 8, 2024, Lamar was announced as the headlining act for the February 2025 Super Bowl LIX halftime show at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. In the video announcing his selection, Lamar said "You know it's only one opportunity to win a championship. No round twos", which was interpreted as a shot against Drake, who posted a few weeks before that "we will win Game 2". Speculation arose as to whether he would incorporate "Not Like Us" into his performance. Justin Sayles of The Ringer called the halftime performance announcement as the capstone of a year that had seen Lamar "ascend to the highest levels" of popular culture, and seen Drake "sink to the lowest levels" of his career.
  
  Lamar performed "Euphoria" and "Not Like Us" during the show. He also wore a chain with a lowercase "a" on it, which was either referencing pgLang or the musical chord A minor (which also references the phrase popularised by the latter track). In an interlude during the middle of the set, Lamar teased the latter song and alluded to Drake's litigation by quipping "I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue", which was followed by a brief audio clip of the song's introduction. In another interlude after performing " All the Stars " towards the end of the set, he said "they tried to rig the game but you can't fake influence", then launched into "Not Like Us". Lamar looked directly into the camera with a smile when he rapped "Say Drake, I hear you like 'em young". The lyric including the word "pedophile" was censored, but the audience could be heard shouting the lyric "tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor" along with him a few lines later.
  
  Professional tennis player Serena Williams, who shares Lamar's hometown of Compton, made a cameo appearance as a dancer doing a crip walk during "Not Like Us", a reference to Williams performing a similar dance after her victory at the 2012 Summer Olympics, for which she faced some criticism. Williams's appearance was also received as a diss towards Drake, with whom she was rumored to have dated several years earlier.
  
  The critical response to the performance was positive. Lisa Respers France of CNN called "Not Like Us" the star of the halftime performance, while Maria Sherman of the Associated Press called Lamar performing the song on the biggest stage in U.S. sports a few days after it swept the Grammy Awards "another step in Lamar's continued victory lap".