Kendrick Lamar will perform at the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime show, Roc Nation, Apple Music, and the NFL announced on Sunday.
Super Bowl LIX is scheduled to be played on February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans and will air on Fox.
The performance will be Lamar’s second during the halftime show, following his featured spot during Dr. Dre’s 2022 all-star tag team of Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent. It also follows Lamar’s musical battle with Drake earlier this year, which not only resulted in a resounding win for the Compton-born rapper, but one of the year’s biggest songs with “Not Like Us.”
That spirit continues with Lamar’s statement about the move: “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” he said. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”
Roc Nation founder Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter said, “Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer. 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.”
Creative direction for Lamar’s performance will be provided by his pgLang company, which also oversaw his galvanizing “Big Steppers” tour, which ran from 2022 through early this year.
Lamar’s appearance follows last year’s featured performer, Usher (who was joined by Alicia Keys, Ludacris and H.E.R.) as well as Rihanna, who performed at the 2023 halftime show — while pregnant! — and the 2022 all-star tag team of Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.
Since the 2012 release of his pivotal major label debut, “Good Kid, m.A.A.d City,” Lamar has arguably become the most important and influential rapper in the world. He has won 17 Grammy awards and in 2018 became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize, for his 2017 album “Damn.” His most recent album, “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” was released in May 2022.
In April of this year, “Like That” by Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar — which launched the battle with Drake — spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In June, “Not Like Us” spent two weeks at No. 1.
The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show telecast will be produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins serving as executive producers, and Hamish Hamilton serving as director. Roc Nation will also serve as the strategic entertainment advisor of the live performance.
Oliver Schusser, Apple’s Vice President of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Sports, and Beats, said, “The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show is a celebration of the music we love and the incredible artists who make it, all on the world’s biggest stage. Apple is thrilled to bring this show, starring the absolutely incomparable Kendrick Lamar, to fans worldwide with Apple Music’s industry leading Spatial Audio quality along with tons of exclusive videos, interviews, playlists and so much more across Apple Music.”
Seth Dudowsky, Head of Music at the NFL, said, “Few artists have impacted music and culture as profoundly as Kendrick Lamar. Time and time again, Kendrick has proven his unique ability to craft moments that resonate, redefine, and ultimately shake the very foundation of hip-hop. We’re excited to collaborate with Kendrick, Roc Nation, and Apple Music to deliver another unforgettable Halftime Show.”
Earlier this year, the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Starring Usher became the most-watched halftime performance of all time and garnered three 2024 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Variety Special (LIVE). In 2023, The Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna scored five Emmy nominations, taking home two, including Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special, a first in Super Bowl Halftime history. In 2022, Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar garnered five Creative Arts Emmy nominations. The critically acclaimed performance won three Emmys, including Outstanding Variety Special (Live), a first-ever for the show.
From Variety US