Everything We Know About Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show—As SZA Unveiled As Guest
by Molly Bohannon · ForbesTopline
Rapper Kendrick Lamar is performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans next month, following a commercially successful year that was dominated by a high-profile feud—and Apple Music confirmed Thursday that R&B singer SZA would make an appearance in the show.
Key Facts
When he was first announced as the performer last September, Lamar said in a statement “rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Lamar was named the halftime performer after his newsworthy year that largely focused around a feud with Drake that started in March and remains ongoing—just last week, Drake filed a defamation suit against Universal Music Group, which represents both him and Lamar, alleging Lamar’s song “Not Like Us” promotes the “false and malicious narrative” that he is a pedophile.
Apple Music confirmed on Thursday Lamar would have SZA—who is co-headlining the “Grand National Tour” with Lamar later this year—as a guest in the halftime show, posting a video of SZA and Lamar on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the caption “Catch @kendricklamar with guest @sza. #AppleMusicHalftime #SBLIX.”
SZA also appeared on two songs on Lamar’s album, “GNX,” which was released in November: “luther” and “gloria.”
When Is The Super Bowl?
Super Bowl LIX will be at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 9. It will air on Fox at 6:30 p.m. EST. The contenders will be decided this Sunday, when the Kansas City Chiefs play the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship and the Washington Commanders play the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship.
What Time Will Kendrick Lamar Perform?
Fox Sports said the halftime show will likely happen between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. EST, though it depends “on how the play on the field progresses.”
How Much Will Kendrick Lamar Get Paid For Halftime Show?
Most likely nothing. Artists who perform at the halftime show are typically not paid. The NFL has said in the past it does “not pay the artists,” but covers expenses and production costs. But some artists recently have spent their own money on their performances: In 2021, The Weeknd reportedly spent $7 million, and Dr. Dre reportedly spent a similar amount in 2022. And while they aren’t paid, artists see the benefits of the show elsewhere. Last year’s headliner Usher saw a 550% boost in Spotify streaming after his performance.
Tangent
Headlining the show won’t be the first time Lamar will grace the halftime stage: He made a guest appearance during the 2022 halftime show that featured Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and more.
Big Number
129.3 million. That’s how many viewers tuned into Usher’s halftime performance last year—making it the most viewed ever, according to The Associated Press. The Super Bowl is regularly the most-watched television event annually, and last year’s Kansas City Chiefs victory over the San Francisco 49ers was the most watched telecast in history, averaging over 123 million viewers, the NFL said.
Key Background
Lamar has put out six studio albums and a number of other mixtapes and EPs, including his most recent album, “GNX,” which was surprise released in November. Last year, Lamar was charting on the Billboard Hot 100 amid his highly publicized feud with Drake, with both artists releasing diss tracks about each other. His diss track “Not Like Us” debuted at No. 1 in May, and Billboard reported Lamar’s entire music catalog saw an increase in streaming during the feud. Fans believe the pair has been feuding since 2013, but the dispute was restarted recently when Drake and J. Cole released “First Person Shooter,” in which Cole said he, Drake and Lamar were the “big three” of rap, to which Lamar responded it’s “just big me,” on his verse on “Like That” in March. This is the sixth year the NFL is partnering with Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation and the third year it's partnering with Apple Music to put on the halftime show.