Three years later Kendrick Lamar was a guest during Dr. Dre’s Super Bowl halftime performance, and the rapper will headline his own halftime show at Super Bowl LIX.
Just hours before the start of the first Sunday of the 2024 season, the NFL, Roc Nation and Apple Music announced that Lamar will be at center field for the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 9, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
“Rap music remains the most influential genre to date. And I will be there to remind the world why,” Lamar said in a statement. “You hit the right note.”
Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation is co-producing the halftime show, added in a statement: “Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer. His deep love of hip-hop and culture shapes his artistic vision. He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture worldwide. Kendrick’s work transcends music and his influence will be felt for years to come.”
Lamar and Dave Frees pgLang will serve as creative directors for the Super Bowl halftime performance.
NFL music chief Seth Dudowsky added in a statement: “Few artists have had as profound an impact on music and culture as Kendrick Lamar. Time and time again, Kendrick has demonstrated his unique ability to create moments that resonate, redefine and ultimately shake the foundations of hip-hop.”
Lamar spent much of 2024 locked in a culture-shattering rap feud with Drake, a feud that resulted in new classics like “Meet the Grahams,” “6:16 in LA,” “Euphoria,” and Song of the Summer nominee “Not Like Us.” The feud had largely died down by the end of the summer, with Rolling Stone He declared Lamar the winner, with his selection as a Super Bowl player only reinforcing this decision.
Super Bowl LIX will take place on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. It will be the eighth Super Bowl at the Big Easy stadium (the most among NFL venues) and the first since 2013 with Fox handling the broadcast.
Lamar, whose last album Mr. Morale and the Great Steppers came in 2022, following recent Super Bowl halftime performers Usher (at the 2024 game), Rihanna in 2023, Dr. Dre and guests Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Lamar in Los Angeles in 2022, The Weeknd in 2021, and Shakira and Jennifer Lopez in 2020.
