Kendrick Lamar has been selected to perform at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show next winter, Apple, the NFL, and Roc Nation announced on September 8.
Just before the first Sunday of football kicked off for the 2024 season, it was confirmed that the rapper would be taking the stage in New Orleans on February 9, 2025, for one of the most-viewed performances of the year.
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar said in a statement. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”
This won't be the first time the Grammy-winning artist will perform at the Super Bowl — Lamar was part of the explosive 2022 halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige.
Since Apple Music and Jay-Z's Roc Nation partnered with the NFL in 2019, the halftime shows have included Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, The Weeknd, and Usher.
“Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer,” Jay-Z wrote in a statement. “His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision. He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”
Jay-Z's partnership with the league came after the rapper openly condemned the NFL in 2017 and reportedly turned down the halftime show himself due to the league's mistreatment of quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who first started kneeling during the national anthem as a show of protest of racism in America.
Kendrick Lamar also shared his support of the quarterback at the time, who was without a team the season after kneeling and has since never played again. “Ultimately, you want to be a person that stands for something. Whether the plan works or not, I want to be remembered as that. Same thing with Colin Kaepernick,” Lamar said at the time.
The rapper has had plenty of success and accolades since experiencing mainstream notoriety in 2012 but recently had a whirlwind year due to his months-long, highly-publicized beef with Drake — including a chart-topping diss track. In June, Lamar hosted The Pop Out: Ken & Friends, a special one-night-only Juneteenth concert at Inglewood's Kia Forum where he performed the track “Not Like Us” alongside other hip-hop legends and friends.
