Kendrick Lamar to Headline 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show

Kendrick Lamar, the acclaimed rapper behind hits like “Not Like Us,” is set to take center stage at the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show. The 37-year-old artist confirmed the news on Sunday through a YouTube video, where he is seen standing on a football field in front of a massive American flag.

“My name is Kendrick Lamar, and I’ll be performing at Super Bowl LIX,” Lamar says in the video. “Will you be pulling up? I hope so.”

Roc Nation, Apple Music, and the NFL quickly followed up with an official announcement, and the NFL shared a promotional poster on X (formerly known as Twitter), featuring Lamar sitting on a football field.

In a statement, Lamar said,

“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date, and I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”

Seth Dudowsky, the NFL’s head of music, echoed that sentiment, praising Lamar’s influence on both music and culture.

“Few artists have impacted music and culture as profoundly as Kendrick Lamar,” Dudowsky said. “Kendrick consistently crafts moments that resonate, redefine, and shake the very foundation of hip-hop.”

This will mark Lamar’s second Super Bowl halftime performance, following his appearance in 2022 as part of a legendary lineup that included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent.

The announcement comes at a pivotal time for Lamar, who has been in the headlines recently for his ongoing feud with Drake. The rivalry escalated through a series of diss tracks, including Lamar’s hit single “Not Like Us,” which dropped in May and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track is nominated for Song of the Year at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, happening this Wednesday. In June, Lamar performed “Not Like Us” five times during a special Juneteenth concert in California.

The tension between Lamar and Drake heated up back in March, when Lamar appeared on Future and Metro Boomin’s track “Like That,” where he rejected the idea of a “big three” in rap that includes himself, Drake, and J. Cole. “It’s just big me,” Lamar rapped. Drake responded with his own diss track, “Taylor Made Freestyle,” continuing the back-and-forth.

With 17 Grammy Awards to his name, Lamar has cemented his legacy as one of hip-hop’s most influential artists. The Super Bowl halftime show, which was headlined in 2024 by Usher alongside Alicia Keys, H.E.R., will.i.am, Lil Jon, Jermaine Dupri, and Ludacris, is shaping up to be another massive moment for the rapper.

Super Bowl LIX will take place on February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.