Kendrick Lamar will headline the half-time show at Super Bowl LIX.
Award-winning rap megastar Kendrick Lamar will return to perform in iPhone maker Apple’s 2025 Super Bowl half-time show this February, his first appearance since 2022. This time, however, he’s the headliner.
Lamar’s previous Super Bowl half-time showcase, which included other rap artists including Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg, won a 2022 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). He has won other awards for his inventive lyrics, including the Pulitzer Prize for music, the first hip-hop artist to do so, as well as a Grammy.
The Super Bowl is one of the biggest televised sports event in the US, routinely drawing tens of millions of viewers. The NFL’s Seth Dudowsky said of Lamar that “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.”
In 2024, Lamar scored a major hit with his single “Not Like Us,” but got considerably more publicity out of his public feud with Canadian rapper Drake. Both artists released “diss tracks” about each other.
In a press release from the National Football League and Apple announcing the half-time show, Lamar said that the Super Bowl “got the right one” to head this year’s event. “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why.”
Super Bowl LIX will take place in New Orleans, LA on February 9th, 2025. Kick-off will be at 6:30pm, Eastern time.
