Rapper Kendrick Lamar is back as a Super Bowl halftime performer, following last year's performance from Usher that was part of a record-breaking NFL championship game.
Super Bowl LIX occurs in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9, 2025. The game will be broadcast on Fox Corporation (NASDAQ: FOX) and feature the top two NFL teams who win the AFC and NFC Championship games.
Lamar was part of a group of rap artists who performed at Super Bowl LVI in 2022, which included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J. Blige as well.
"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," Lamar said.
NFL head of music Seth Dudowsky said the league is excited to collaborate with Kendrick and Super Bowl halftime sponsor Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) on "another unforgettable Halftime Show."
"Few artists have impacted music and culture as profoundly as Kendrick Lamar. 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," Dudowsky said.
Lamar is a 17-time Grammy Award winner and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize.
The rapper has often dominated the charts with "Like That" spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart earlier this year, followed by "Not Like Us" also topping the charts this summer.
The Winners: Apple signed a deal with the NFL in 2022, which kicked off with the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2023 featuring Rihanna.
"Apple is thrilled to bring the show, starring the absolutely incomparable Kendrick Lamar, to fans worldwide with Apple Music's industry leading Spatial Audio quality along with tons of exclusive videos, interviews, playlists and so much more across Apple Music," Apple's Vice President of Apple Music Oliver Schusser said, as reported by Variety.
The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show featuring Usher earlier this year was the-most watched halftime show ever and earned three Emmy nominations. The Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show with Rihanna earned five Emmy nominations, becoming the first Super Bowl Halftime Show to win the Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special Emmy.
With another globally recognized artist, Apple could score big with cross-promotions of its music features and the ability to launch exclusive content for Apple subscribers.
Fox will broadcast Super Bowl LIX in 2025 and could get a boost from the halftime show. While many viewers tune in for the big game, the amount of fans tuning in for Super Bowl halftime performances is often a big factor in viewership and advertisement rates.
Super Bowl LVIII was watched by 123.4 million viewers, a Super Bowl record and figure that was up 7% year-over-year. A total of 202.4 million viewers watched a portion of the game with the halftime show seeing record viewership for any Super Bowl.
Another potential winner is Universal Music (OTC: UNVGY), which has had a hand in four of Lamar's five studio albums.
Lamar's last album was released in 2022 and many are eagerly awaiting a new studio album. The timing of a release or announcement around the Super Bowl Halftime Show could come with potential peak interest in Lamar.
Super Bowl Halftime performers often see a substantial spike in songs and albums around the big game.