Kendrick Lamar Shares Behind-the-Scenes Look at His Super Bowl Halftime Show with Samuel L. Jackson
Kendrick Lamar is giving fans an exclusive look at what went down before his game-changing Super Bowl halftime performance.
In a new video shared by his company, pgLang, the rapper takes us inside the rehearsal process, where he fine-tunes his set alongside surprise guest Samuel L. Jackson. The Hollywood icon, playing “Uncle Sam,” was seen delivering his powerful narration in a massive rehearsal space just days before the big show.
The clip, titled Rehearsal Day 20, also teases Kendrick practicing his highly talked-about performance of Not Like Us—his searing diss track aimed at Drake—though notably without sound. The energy was high as Kendrick and Jackson shared laughs with the team, while SZA, Mustard, and Serena Williams, who all hit the stage with him, made quick appearances.
pgLang also dropped behind-the-scenes photos, showing Kendrick and SZA rehearsing their duets, early concepts for the video game-inspired stage, and the custom Buick Grand National that played a key role in the performance.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Kendrick’s longtime manager and pgLang co-founder Dave Free revealed the creative vision behind the historic performance, which was watched by a record-breaking 133.5 million people.
“We wanted this to feel cinematic and theatrical—something unlike any other Super Bowl halftime show,” Free explained. He and Kendrick even studied past performances, drawing inspiration from legends like Beyoncé, Prince, and Michael Jackson.
At its core, the performance was about reclaiming the narrative of Black America. “It wasn’t just about playing the hits,” Free added, addressing Kendrick’s bold decision to center his setlist around Euphoria and Not Like Us instead of his more mainstream tracks.
With this level of thought and execution, it’s clear Kendrick Lamar didn’t just perform at the Super Bowl—he made history.