When Kendrick Lamar accepted the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for his chart-topping hit “Not Like Us,” he said, “This is what it’s about, man. Because at the end of the day, nothing is more powerful than rap music.

A year ago, it would’ve been a long-shot bet to pick Kendrick Lamar to be the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show headliner. In fact, it seemed as if his moment to play the biggest stage in the game had already come and gone in 2022’s Dr.