At the beginning of the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, Kendrick Lamar’s backup dancers emerged from an ominous, black, vintage car. No, it’s not the Knight Rider Pontiac Firebird, nor is it a vintage Mercury Cougar. Lamar’s ride is a 1987 Buick GNX, which is significant because 1987 is the year Lamar was born, and GNX is the title of his most recent 2024 album.
At the Super Bowl halftime performance, the Buick GNX was central to the entire performance, which holds special significance in Lamar’s life, since a a Buick Regal, a sister car of the Buick GNX, was the car Lamar’s father drove baby Kendrick home from the hospital after his birth on June 17, 1987.
The acronym “GNX” stands for “Grand National Experimental,” which refers to the fact that Buick wanted to compete with other coupes for racing dominance. In the early 1980s, NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip won consecutive championships in 1981 and 1982 racing Buick Regals. This fact prompted Lloyd Reuss of Buick to create a new kind of sports car, which became the GNX. Initially, only 500 1987 Buick GNXs were created, in honor of the NASCAR race, the Daytona 500.
During the Super Bowl halftime show, Kendrick name-checked the GNX he was standing in front of, referencing his hit-making album, as well as his 1980s roots. Lamar might take hip-hop to the bleeding edge, and push boundaries, but his slick GNX proves he’ll always have classic roots.
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