Kendrick Lamar to headline Apple Music’s 2025 Super Bowl LIX halftime show.
Roc Nation, the NFL and Apple Music made the announcement Sunday, and the big game will be held on Feb. 9, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. It will air on Fox.
Lamar previously performed at the 2022 Hip-Hop Heavy Halftime Show with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent. All of the artists, along with executive producers Jay-Z and Jesse Collins, won the Outstanding Live Variety Special Emmy for the epic performance. Creative direction for Lamar’s upcoming performance will be provided by pgLang, the creative company founded by the rap star and his close collaborator Dave Free, the director and producer who has directed or co-directed the majority of Lamar’s music videos.
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to this day. And I'll be there to remind the world why. They got the right guy,” Lamar, 37, says in a statement.
Jay-Z and his company Roc Nation are returning to produce the halftime show for a sixth year. The rap icon and mogul won his second Emmy for co-directing Rihanna’s 2023 halftime performance with Hamish Hamilton, becoming one of the rare Black directors to win in the category of Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. This year’s halftime show, starring Usher, was nominated for three Emmys and became the most-watched halftime show of all time.
“Kendrick Lamar is truly a one-of-a-kind artist and performer. His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision. He has an unmatched ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick's work transcends music and his impact will be felt for years to come,” Jay-Z said in a statement.
Lamar has enjoyed critical and commercial success since releasing his 2011 mixtape Section 80 and debut with a major label, in 2012 good boy, mAAd cityHe has won 17 Grammys and his 2017 work, DAMNATION.won the Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first non-classical or jazz artist to win the prestigious award. He also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for 2018's “All the Stars” from Black Panther.
This year, he emerged atop the Billboard charts with the anthems “Not Like Us” and “Like That,” featuring Future and Metro Boomin.
“Few artists have had such a profound impact on music and culture as Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick has repeatedly demonstrated his unique ability to create moments that resonate, redefine and ultimately shake the very foundations of hip-hop,” said Seth Dudowsky, head of music for the NFL, in a statement. “We are thrilled to partner with Kendrick, Roc Nation and Apple Music to deliver another unforgettable Halftime Show.”
Added Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Sports and Beats: “The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show is a celebration of the music we love and the incredible artists who create it, all on the world’s biggest stage. Apple is thrilled to bring this spectacular show, starring the absolutely incomparable Kendrick Lamar, to fans around the world in Apple Music’s industry-leading Spatial Audio quality along with tons of exclusive videos, interviews, playlists and more on Apple Music.”
The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show will be produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins serving as executive producers and Hamish Hamilton as director. Roc Nation will also serve as strategic entertainment advisor for the live performance.