Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show: See the positive and negative reactions

The highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show featuring Kendrick Lamar went down in New Orleans yesterday. While the expectations were through the roof, some fans ended up being disappointed by the rapper's performance.

The show garnered mixed reactions, with some even labeling it the "worst halftime show ever." The “Humble” rapper is coming off a polarizing beef with Drake, so that might have something to do with it. Plus, he was given the gig over New Orleans native Lil Wayne.

Clearly, some of the negative reactions might’ve been from Wayne's fans or from Drake's fan base since Lamar performed the scathing diss track "Not Like Us." So, let’s take a look at some of the feedback.

Someone on a hip-hop fan page stated that he or she likes Lamar, but the halftime show was subpar at best. “Kendrick is my guy but that halftime show was pretty mediocre," that person wrote.

Immediately after his performance, Daily Mail Online reported that the rapper was receiving flak for his set. The media house wrote, “Kendrick Lamar slammed for 'worst halftime show ever' during Super Bowl 2025 performance.”

Meanwhile, Barstool Sports said “Not Like Us” might’ve been the only saving grace of his performance, but even the Grammy-winning song couldn’t save his act. They wrote, “Kendrick Did 'Not Like Us' But It Didn't Save The Otherwise Dreadful Halftime Show.”

Lamar brought out the legendary Serena Williams to perform with him on "Not Like Us." Williams used to date Drake, and rapper Boosie Badazz thought that joining Lamar made her look salty. He posted, “SERENA GIVING HEARTBROKEN BY DRAKE VIBES.”

Plus, one music fan posted several clips, which were recorded inside the arena while Lamar was performing. That person captioned the post, "the crowd is completely dead."

On the flip side, there were many who appreciated what Lamar did on the Super Bowl stage. Media veteran Stephen A. Smith, for example, took to X to heap praise on the rapper.

Another person wrote, “I think Kendrick halftime show was FIRE.”

Plus, another fan page called it the “best Super Bowl halftime show in recent memory.”

At the end of the day, music is subjective, and there are a lot of reasons why one might like or dislike an artist. In the case of Lamar, despite some of the negative feedback, he can be proud of the fact that he performed on one of the biggest stages in the world.