Kendrick Lamar’s latest Gatorade campaign, part of the brand’s 2025 “Lose More. Win More.” initiative, isn’t about sports drinks so much as it is about existential sweat. This is Gatorade-as-haiku. And Kendrick, of course, is the narrator of your inner monologue after a personal failure and a 12-minute run that made you reconsider everything.
The spot, released May 25, leans hard into monochrome minimalism—black-and-white cinematography, meditative voiceover, controlled pacing—before erupting into splashes of Gatorade color like a Jackson Pollock painting powered by electrolytes. “Going the distance. Losing, so I know I always win,” Kendrick says, stoically. In the background: “Peekaboo,” his own track. In the subtext: maybe something about rap beef and emotional stamina. No names named, but the flavors were vivid.
This marks Lamar’s second outing with Gatorade, and it’s clear they’ve leaned into what he does best—turning product placement into philosophical inquiry. Earlier this year, he also aligned with Chanel and designer Willy Chavarria. So yes, the man behind “Alright” is now the man behind brand equity, couture tailoring, and responsible hydration.
And while this ad is ostensibly about sports and loss and electrolytes, it’s also about Kendrick’s favorite theme: control—of your body, your narrative, your sweat glands. The only time he mentions “winning” is after he’s talked about “losing.” That’s not a punchline. That’s a framework.
And that, in short, is Kendrick Lamar’s commercial arc: he doesn’t just sell you a drink. He sells you a worldview. One where defeat is part of design, setbacks are tempo shifts, and hydration is an existential loop scored by a Pulitzer winner. Gatorade, meet your philosopher-in-residence.