Kendrick Lamar received mixed reactions from the public over his Super Bowl LIX halftime performance — but it led to a nearly 175% increase in Spotify streams across the United States.
According to an Instagram post shared by Spotify on Feb. 10, 2025, several songs from Lamar’s halftime setlist experienced significant boosts.
“Not Like Us” — the popular Drake-aimed diss track released in May 2024 — saw a 430% increase, followed by “HUMBLE,” which rose 300%.
“DNA,” which, along with “HUMBLE,” is from the 2017 album “DAMN,” experienced a 260% increase.
“Luther,” performed with SZA, and “tv off,” featuring lefty gunplay, both experienced a 170% increase in streams.
SZA also benefited from the performance, with an 80% increase in her Spotify streams.
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Exactly one week after winning five Grammy Awards — bringing his total to 22 — Lamar performed 10 songs at Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025, including five tracks from his latest album, “GNX,” which was released in November.
pgLang, the creative agency founded by Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free, announced on Tuesday, February 11, that Lamar’s show was the “most-watched anything in the history of American television,” surpassing even Super Bowl halftime performances, with 133.5 million viewers tuning in.
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The NFL announced on Sept. 8, 2024, that Kendrick Lamar would headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why,” Lamar said in a statement at the time. “They got the right one.”
On Jan. 23, 2025, Lamar — born Kendrick Ducksworth — shared that fellow Grammy-Award winning artist SZA would join him as a special guest performer. Together, they performed two of their collaborations: “luther” from “GNX” and “All the Stars” from 2018’s “Black Panther” soundtrack.
pgLang was instrumental in the sound technology and production for the show, overseeing edits, stage design, and sound tech, AFROTECH™ previously reported.
The Los Angeles-based company consists of individuals who share a vision for producing “quality“ and “unconventional concepts,“ per its website, AFROTECH™ noted.
During a press conference with Apple Music, Lamar emphasized the importance of pgLang’s team, acknowledging that their collective efforts were essential in bringing the show to completion.
“Shout out to pgLang… That’s my team. It’s 30 incredible individuals. Five extraordinary executives that work day in and day out to make sure we are doing something that will long live the culture,“ Lamar said, per AFROTECH™. “From a music standpoint, from a creative standpoint, fashion, film, books, day in day out of just being around like-minded individuals that have different perspectives outside of just music.”
“So through that process, it was a challenge for me but even more a process of me enjoying different ideas and different backgrounds and how to look at things,” he added. “I love it.”
Next up for Lamar and SZA is their Grand National Tour, which will hit 19 stadiums across North America. According to Variety, the tour kicks off at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN, on April 19, and will conclude its North America leg at Northwest Stadium in Washington, D.C., on June 18, 2025.
On Monday, Feb. 10, 2025 — one day after their Super Bowl halftime performance — the duo announced additional tour dates in Europe, beginning with a show at RheinEnergieSTADION in Cologne, Germany, on July 2, 2025, per Variety.
