AceShowbiz - Kid Rock had a lot to say about Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl 2025 performance. While he acknowledged it wasn't exactly to his taste, he made it clear he had a deep respect for Lamar's unapologetic approach to his craft.

"To put it nicely, it wasn't my cup of tea, but I gotta respect it," Kid Rock said on "Real Time with Bill Maher".

He further elaborated on his connection to hip-hop culture, citing his background in breakdancing, DJing, graffiti, and rapping as reasons for his understanding. "I grew up loving, emulating hip-hop. All things hip-hop... And so I understand the culture a little bit more than most… And when I say 'most,' I mean white people," he remarked.

Rock appreciated Lamar's defiant attitude, comparing it to his own career approach. "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, and I don't think he gives a frog's fat a** what anyone thinks about it," Rock stated. "That's pretty much how I built my career. I gotta respect it."

Rock, however, criticized the NFL's emphasis on DEI, suggesting that Lamar's performance exemplified its extreme manifestation. He argued that the halftime show, which featured primarily Black performers, had become "the most exclusive thing ever" and a symbol of division rather than unity.

"This was the epitome of DEI. This was the epitome of DEI blowing up. Because the NFL was on this DEI, 'end racism,' all this stuff. They got Jay-Z. They're bookin' this. Kendrick Lamar goes out there and basically turns DEI into an IED."

"It's like, it's all Black people, or all people of color, speaking to his crowd, in the hood, Black people," he said before quipping, "It was like the most exclusive thing ever, and I'm like, 'F*** yeah, that's awesome.' I'm laughing my a** off."

Rock sarcastically credited Colin Kaepernick for creating a social climate that allowed Lamar to perform at the Super Bowl.

"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," Rock claimed, "because without him kneeling ... I don't think that happens."

The conversation then turned into Rock's bragging about the diversity in his own band. "I have one of the most diverse bands out there - not because of this DEI s***, just because they're the best at what they do, who all love each other and get along."