Compton native Kendrick Lamar’s performance at the Super Bowl halftime show sent a political message. Michelle Valles reports for the NBc4 News at 11 a.m. on Feb. 10, 2025.
Compton native Kendrick Lamar has 22 Grammys to his name, making him the first rapper to headline the NFL’s biggest stage.
He captured the national spotlight to deliver a dual message, one to artist Drake and their ongoing rap battle, and the other bigger message was poetically political.
Kendrick gave a shout out to his city of Compton before bringing out DJ Mustard who went to Dorsey High out of the Baldwin Hills area, showing the world like his hit song “Not Like Us.”
The pregame hype focused on whether Kendrick would actually play the hit song that was effectively the knockout blow in the months-long battle with Drake last year.
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He came through, omitting some of explicit lyrics,
In Liemert Park Dominique DiPrima of KBLA talked about the bigger meaning of this historic performance
The halftime show performance also caught fans by surprise when tennis great, Olympic medalist and also Compton native, Serena Williams, made a dance cameo.
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Williams was seen doing the Crip Walk, or C-Walk, dance, a style that originated in Los Angeles gang culture during the 1980s.
Indigenous dances of LA have become a phenomenon for those of us who are Angelenos.
“It’s like protecting black women because of the way that Drake spoke about Serena and the way that Kendrick defended her in his song, so it’s Compton pride, it’s about protecting black women, it’s about loving your community and your neighborhood and being unapologetic about it,” DiPrima said.
Time magazine wrote that Lamar delivered a Super Bowl performance that demanded attention and active listening from his audience.
