Kid Rock: Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance was 'DEI' for 'in the hood Black people'

Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl 59 halftime show was "DEI" for "in the hood Black people," according to Kid Rock.

The country rock rapper appeared on Friday's edition of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" and offered his opinion on the Compton lyricist's controversial halftime performance.

"To put it nicely, it wasn’t my cup of tea, but I got to respect it," Kid Rock told Maher, who asked for an opinion on the show. "And here’s why: I grew up loving, emulating all things hip-hop, break dancing, deejaying, graffiti, rapping, and so I understand the culture a little bit more than most. And when I say most, of course, I mean white people."

Kid Rock cuts off performance, storms off after asking crowd to clap: 'I'm gone'

Kid Rock added: "Everyone’s like 'that sucks,' this that and the other. I’m like, 'this kid pretty much came out figuratively with both middle fingers in the air, doing what he does for the people who love what he does unapologetically.'"

Kid Rock, 54, said that he doesn't think Lamar, 37, cares "what anyone thinks about it," adding that "it’s pretty much how I built my whole career. I got to respect it."

The "Picture" artist, an ally of President Donald Trump, then continued explaining his point of view, crediting former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began sitting and kneeling when the national anthem played during the 2016 NFL season to protest racial injustice in America.

Kid Rock credits ex-NFL QB Colin Kaepernick with Kendrick Lamar halftime show

Kid Rock told Maher that “I’ve heard nobody answer this question: how did he get that gig? Jay-Z" referring to the Roc Nation owner and billionaire rapper's agreement with the NFL, first announced in 2019 and extended in October last year.

"What happened there? I think Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar should both send Colin Kaepernick a Bundt cake and a six-pack of beer and a ‘thank you’ note with a bunch of money in it, because without him kneeling and getting everyone’s panties in a bunch over the anthem, self-included, I don’t think that happens" Kid Rock said.

All the songs in Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl 59 halftime show

Maher did not have a chance to respond before Kid Rock said Lamar's selection as the halftime show performer "was the epitome of DEI blowing up because the NFL was all this DEI and racism, all this stuff. They got Jay-Z in there booking this, and like Kendrick Lamar goes out there and basically turns DEI into an IED."

An IED (improvised explosive device) is a homemade bomb. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Lamar, considered by some to be the greatest rap artist alive, has garnered 22 Grammy wins out of 57 total nominations. Kid Rock has five Grammy nominations and no wins.

Lamar, who rose to fame with his standout sophomore album "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City," had a breakout year that catapulted him to mainstream superstardom. Last year, Drake diss song "Not Like Us" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 chart, his first time atop the chart, and he swept his five nomination categories at this month's 2025 Grammy Awards, including a pair of wins in the "Big Four" categories for record of the year and song of the year.

During "Real Time," Kid Rock continued explaining his position, leaving Maher briefly speechless in a rare move.

“It’s like all Black people or all people of color speaking to his crowd in the hood, Black people. It was like the most exclusive thing ever," Kid Rock said, adding that he was "like ... that's awesome."

Racial identities of Super Bowl have varied in recent years

The racial identities of main Super Bowl halftime show performers have ranged over the last decade.

From 2015 to 2019, white Super Bowl halftime performers delivered the show: Katy Perry, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and Maroon 5. But since 2020 and Roc Nation's exclusive agreement with the NFL, the halftime performers have predominately been people of color besides Eminem.

Every Super Bowl halftime show since the first one in 1967

In 2020, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez lit up the stage followed by The Weeknd's memorable Super Bowl Sunday show. 2022's halftime show featured Lamar in a group medley alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J. Blige in a tribute to the hip-hop genre. Rihanna performed in 2023 while Usher was the Super Bowl 58 halftime show performer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kid Rock calls Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl halftime show 'DEI'