Kendrick Lamar is set to perform at the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show.
The 37-year-old rapper revealed the news in a YouTube video, where he appeared on a football field with a large American flag.
In the video, Lamar announced, “My name is Kendrick Lamar, and I’ll be performing at Super Bowl LIX. Will you be pulling up? I hope so.”
The announcement was confirmed by Roc Nation, Apple Music, and the NFL, with a promotional poster shared on X featuring Lamar on a football field. Lamar expressed in a statement, “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.”
NFL’s head of music, Seth Dudowsky, praised Lamar for his profound impact on music and culture, noting his ability to create resonant and transformative moments in hip-hop.
Lamar’s performance comes amid a notable year, highlighted by a public feud with Drake. Their conflict, marked by diss tracks like Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” has kept the rapper in the spotlight.
“Not Like Us,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and is nominated for Song of the Year at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, was a major hit for Lamar. He performed it five times during a Juneteenth concert in California.
The feud intensified in March when Lamar, featured on Future and Metro Boomin’s track “Like That,” dismissed the notion of a “big three” in rap that includes himself, Drake, and J. Cole, stating, “It’s just big me.” Drake responded with diss tracks, including “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
Lamar, who has won 17 Grammy Awards, will take the stage at Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
The 2024 halftime show was headlined by Usher, with performances by Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Will.i.am, Lil Jon, Jermaine Dupri, and Ludacris.
