Kendrick Lamar Disses Drake, Brings Out SZA & Serena Williams in Halftime Show

Kendrick Lamar did that!

The Grammy winner gave a stellar halftime performance at Sunday's Super Bowl, surprising everyone when he was introduced by none other than "Uncle Sam" — actor Samuel L. Jackson — as a tic-tac-toe board lit up the field.

Using a Black Uncle Sam was seen by some as a subtle dig at the current discourse on diversity and inclusion, and the entire set was centered around Jackson's character facetiously chastising Lamar, urging him not to go too far as a performer.

Offering a "Wacced Out Murals" intro and a snippet of "Bodies," "Squabble Up" was staged on a Buick Grand National, with Lamar spitting rhymes in a red, white and blue leather jacket, surrounded by dancers in red and white outfits.

"Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto!" declared Jackson's Uncle Sam, urging him, "Tighten up!"

That led to a relentlessly synched-up dance by his backup performers as he rapped "Humble," flowing into "DNA."

Continuing to hold down the house solo, he performed a high-intensity "Euphoria" and "Man at the Garden" before Jackson's character put him in check once more.

For "Peekaboo," his dancers were all in white, with his female dancers in black-and-red wigs.

Teasing his controversial Record of the Year and Song of the Year Grammy winner "Not Like Us," he said he wanted to perform it, but, "You know they love to sue."

He instead slipped into "Luther," bringing out duet partner SZA, who was poured into maroon leather and lace.

They performed on a triangular stage while dancers gathered around a circular stage, a brief break before "All the Stars," his attack on people who "feel entitled," another powerful SZA duet. The song was a hit off the "Black Panther" soundtrack.

(A lone protester managed to take the field for several minutes with a flag that appeared to name-check Gaza and Sudan, but security hustled them away quickly.)

Ironically, Jackson's sarcastic character interjected, "Don't mess this up!"

That signaled Lamar throwing down "Not Like Us," surely the first-ever diss song performed at the Super Bowl. The song notoriously insinuates that rival rapper Drake should be kept away from underaged girls. Adding insult to injury, the crowd sang back to Lamar when it came time to rap the double-entendre "a minorrrr."

At least Lamar did not include the word "pedophile," as he usually does.

As a huge surprise, and on a lighter note, Serena Williams emerged to offer some dance moves! (Serena's presence was also a Drake dig... the two dated for a hot minute in 2011.)

He then brought out his only other major guest, Mustard, for the hugely popular track "TV Off."

In all, the performance — which earned mixed reviews from fans and critics — was a huge departure for a halftime show. Lamar became the first rapper to land the gig, and he chose to make this a performance that focused, with just a couple of exceptions, more on him as a singular entertainer than on gimmicks or on excessive guest-spot moments.

When he ended his set, he did it with a playful smile of satisfaction.

The big game ended with the Eagles trouncing the Chiefs, 40-22.