When Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar begins his world tour, it’s safe to assume that he'll perform tracks loaded with layered meaning and pointed diss tracks (probably aimed at rival Drake) as he continues to lay out his worldview through music.
Since rising to fame in 2011, Lamar has consistently used fashion as an extension of his artistry. Today, he’s heralded not only for his musical innovation but also for his sartorial choices. Whether head-to-toe denim or a lavish brooch, Lamar has become adept at using his clothes to transmit a wider narrative about his music.
Following the success of his 2024 diss track Not Like Us, which dominated the charts and became the fastest hip-hop song to reach 300 million streams, Lamar was tapped as the halftime performer for Super Bowl LIX in 2025. Fans expected him to use the stage to make a statement, and he didn’t disappoint.
He stepped out in a custom leather varsity jacket by British-Jamaican designer Martine Rose, emblazoned with the name Gloria, a reference that fans recognised as the title of the final track on his 2024 album GNX. The look was paired with boot cut jeans from Celine, solidifying the return of the Y2K look, and accessorised with a heavy chain necklace featuring a lower case “a.” The pendant served double duty, part statement jewellery, part lyrical callback to his Drake-directed jab: “tryna strike a chord, and it’s probably A-minorrrrr.”
The performance also featured dancers dressed in the red, white, and blue of the American flag, along with surprise appearances from Serena Williams and Samuel L Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam. In classic Lamar fashion, the moment didn’t end there. He also collaborated with American designer Willy Chavarria on a limited-edition Super Bowl clothing line, which dropped immediately after the show. The standout piece? A black satin bomber jacket retailing for $750 (Dh2,754).
Lamar’s visual language has been shaped for years alongside stylist Taylor McNeill. From his early Compton street style days – think baggy jeans, hoodies, and classic West Coast trainers – his look has become edgier year-on-year. The 2012 release of good kid, m.A.A.d city marked a turning point: he began embracing labels like Rhude and Pyrex Vision, the first fashion venture by Virgil Abloh.
By 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Lamar was flexing his sartorial muscles, experimenting with bold prints and avant-garde silhouettes. At the 2016 Austin City Limits music festival, he wore a rare checked shirt from LA-based label Enfants Riches Deprimes, also favoured by Kanye West. With only 50 ever produced, the shirt now resells for up to $1,800 (Dh6,610).
When DAMN. dropped in 2017, earning Lamar the Grammy for Best Rap Album and making him the first non-classical, non-jazz artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, his fashion had fused streetwear with high fashion. To accept his Grammy, he wore a yellow Fear of God tracksuit inspired by kung-fu films, a nod to hip-hop's long fascination with the genre
Later that year, he stepped on to the MTV VMA red carpet in a Prada suit and Chrome Hearts jewellery, then performed in a red Balenciaga puffer jacket. The evolution continued into 2018 when he took the Grammy stage wearing an archival Craig Green jacket, followed by rare looks from Raf Simons’ spring/summer 2002 collection, pieces originally inspired by youth street culture, now reborn through Lamar’s singular vision.
In 2022, Lamar cemented his role as fashion’s poet laureate when he appeared on the cover of Mr Morale & The Big Steppers wearing a bespoke crown of thorns. Designed by Tiffany & Co, the piece featured more than 8,000 micro pave diamonds, totalling 137 carats, and took more than 1,300 hours to craft. That same year, he performed in Abu Dhabi for the first time.
Lamar wore the crown again at the Louis Vuitton autumn/winter 2024 menswear show, where he paid tribute to the late Abloh, paired with a suit from Abloh’s tenure at the house. Later that year, he donned the crown for his headlining set at Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage.
Lamar’s place in the fashion world further solidified when Chanel invited him to compose the score for its autumn 2024 haute couture show, a nod to his growing status as a fashion insider. Also in 2025, for the Grammys, he arrived in a full denim look by Maison Margiela, evoking the so-called “Canadian tuxedo.” More than a style choice, it was another barb at his rival Drake.
In April, Chanel invited Lamar further into the fold by naming him as an ambassador for its eyewear, adding him to the handful of men representing the house.
In every aspect of his public persona, Lamar uses clothing the way he uses rhyme – with a creative and thought-provoking flow. He threads together storytelling, fashion, cultural commentary and lethal jabs at his competitors with surgical precision, making him not just one of hip-hop’s greatest lyricists, but also one of its most deliberate dressers.
The years Ramadan fell in May
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch
MATCH INFO
Austria 2
Hinteregger (53'), Schopf (69')
Germany 1
Ozil (11')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on animal trafficking
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
BANGLADESH SQUAD
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahaman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Mobile phone packages comparison
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Teri%20Baaton%20Mein%20Aisa%20Uljha%20Jiya
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amit%20Joshi%20and%20Aradhana%20Sah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECast%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shahid%20Kapoor%2C%20Kriti%20Sanon%2C%20Dharmendra%2C%20Dimple%20Kapadia%2C%20Rakesh%20Bedi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More coverage from the Future Forum
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The five pillars of Islam
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
ROUTE%20TO%20TITLE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%201%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Leolia%20Jeanjean%206-1%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%202%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Naomi%20Osaka%207-6%2C%201-6%2C%207-5%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%203%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marie%20Bouzkova%206-4%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%204%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Anastasia%20Potapova%206-0%2C%206-0%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuarter-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marketa%20Vondrousova%206-0%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Coco%20Gauff%206-2%2C%206-4%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Jasmine%20Paolini%206-2%2C%206-2%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More on Quran memorisation:
More on animal trafficking
