Is Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Outfit a Janet Jackson Tribute? Let's Investigate

Kendrick Lamar spent Janet Jackson Appreciation Day – er, Super Bowl Sunday – honoring the music icon herself. While performing during the halftime show with Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, and more on Feb. 14, the rapper seemed to pay tribute to Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation 1814” era in an all-black suit that gave us early ’90s flashbacks.

Lamar’s suit was pulled from the late Virgil Abloh’s final Louis Vuitton menswear collection. It consisted of a double-breasted jacket and flared pants with slits at the bottom, and he accessorised by draping several Tiffany & Co. diamond necklaces and bracelets from dazzling brooches by the jeweller. He also wore a single leather glove, six Tiffany & Co. diamond rings, one drop earring, sunglasses, and a bandana secured around his arm with a gold cross-shaped clip.

As many viewers noticed, Lamar’s look bears striking resemblance to the all-black outfits Jackson wore during her Rhythm Nation World Tour in 1990. Plus, his black-suit-clad backup dancers were crushing impressively controlled sequences just like Jackson’s did in her “Rhythm Nation” music video, only furthering the similitude. Although a Louis Vuitton representative has yet to confirm POPSUGAR’s inquiries on whether the homage was purposeful or mere coincidence, we think we already know the answer – especially since Lamar honored Jackson in the past by sampling her on his 2012 song “Poetic Justice.”

Lamar’s Louis Vuitton suit wasn’t the only standout fashion moment at Super Bowl LVI: Before kickoff, Jhené Aiko sang “America the Beautiful” in a sequined, slitted David Koma gown, and Mary J. Blige turned heads during the halftime show in a custom leopard-print Peter Dundas outfit and thigh-high boots. Oh, and we’d be remiss to not mention the fact that Lizzo attended the big game in a minidress made out of real footballs. Take a closer look at Lamar’s Super Bowl outfit ahead, and refresh your memory on Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation 1814” era looks.