NEW ORLEANS — Kendrick Lamar took to the Super Bowl LIX stage for the second time Sunday — but this time he headlined the show in front of millions watching around the world. 

Samuel L. Jackson opened the show in an Uncle Sam costume.

“Salutations! It’s your uncle, Sam, and this is the great American game!” Jackson said done-up in red white and blue. 

Lamar’s appeared crouched atop a Buick Grand National Experimental — the car his newest album, “GNX,” is named for.

Dancers wearing red, white and blue came pouring out of the Buick like a clown car and moved in sync to songs including “gnx” and “squabble up.”

Jackson interrupted, calling the performance and dancers “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.” Lamar continued with “HUMBLE.” on a staircase, surrounded by the dancers standing in the formation of the American flag. 

He also performed “Euphoria,” “man at the garden,” “peekaboo” and was joined by SZA for “luther” and “All The Stars.” 

He ended his performance with his hit “Not Like Us” — with the removal of the word “pedophiles” in its lyrics — into “tv off” where Serena Williams was spotted dancing along.

Lamar is known for making statements through fashion — whether it be in his music videos or at the Super Bowl. 

Many asked what the large necklace with a lower case “a” meant.

While we don’t know for sure — many speculated it represented “a minor” as a reference to his song “Not Like Us” — it’s likely a reference to pgLang, Lamar’s own music and media production company based in Los Angeles. 

The halftime show performance comes just a week after Lamar added five more Grammys to his collection — including winning song and record of the year for “Not Like Us.” 

Before the performance, Lamar said he wanted to infuse his Los Angeles hip-hop flavor into New Orleans while staying true to his storytelling roots.

“Being in the now and being just locked-in to how I feel and the energy I have now, that’s the L.A. energy for me,” he said Thursday at a press conference hosted by Apple Music. “That’s something I wanted to carry over to New Orleans and for the world to see. This is me. This is Kendrick Lamar, 37 years old, and I still feel like I’m elevating, I’m still on a journey.”

SZA joined him on the big stage after being featured in his newest album GNX. They’re also preparing to embark on a 19-city North American tour this spring and summer. The Grand National Tour kicks off April 19 in Minneapolis and concludes June 18 in Washington, D.C. 

The rap megastar, who has won a total of 20 Grammys, previously performed at the Super Bowl as a guest artist with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem in 2022.

The NFL may cover travel costs for artists, but maintains its long-standing tradition of not paying performers for the pregame and halftime shows beyond the minimum union scale requirements. Under union agreements, this typically amounts to around $1,000 per day for rehearsals and the performance itself. That means no splashy appearance fees for these major artists. 

However, the real value of the Super Bowl halftime show lies in its unprecedented exposure. The 2024 performance headlined by Usher drew massive viewership, continuing the trend set by Rihanna’s 2023 show which attracted 115 million viewers. For artists, this exposure typically translates into significant increases in music sales and streaming numbers.

Kendrick Lamar is no stranger to the Super Bowl stage, having previously performed as part of the historic 2022 hip-hop showcase alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J. Blige. During that appearance, all performers experienced substantial streaming increases, with some artists seeing jumps of over 140% in streaming numbers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.