Kendrick Lamar will headline the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show but despite one of music’s biggest artists right now, he won’t get paid for the coveted slot — here’s why.
The Super Bowl halftime show is fast approaching, and there’s always as much hype around the halftime show as the game itself. It’s one of the biggest events in the music calendar after all.
Major artists including Madonna, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Rihanna have headlined their own halftime shows, and after making a guest appearance during Dr Dre’s show in 2022, Kendrick is getting one all for himself. Music icon Usher took to the NFL stage and wowed the crowd at the Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.
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This year, the Super Bowl game (because there’s also a football game and it’s not just a concert believe it or not) will be played by two-time defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. The teams will battle it out at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on 9 February.
There’s a lot to look forward to at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Kendrick’s fans, plus Drake who definitely is not a fan these days, will be waiting to see if the LA rapper performs his Grammy-winning hit 'Not Like Us'.
Out of the four solo diss songs Kendrick released last year during the height of his feud with Drizzy, 'Not Like Us' is the one that ultimately won him the battle, with the Canadian rapper, 38, now suing record label UMG for defamation.
The last 12 months have been lucrative for Kendrick, who managed to pick up eight BET Hip Hop Awards, including song of the year and artist of the year. He also found the time to release the album GNX.
So why won’t Kendrick Lamar be paid for his Super Bowl LIX halftime show.
Well, no Super Bowl artist has ever been paid for their performance.
The NFL does, however, cover the costs to run the show, including expenses and production. Reuters estimated that this sum alone is around $13 million. For a show lasting just 15 minutes at most, it’s a lot of money.
Because the spot is so coveted, they don’t really need to pay the artists to entice them to perform.
Entertainment attorney Lori Landew, told Forbes: “The halftime show at the Super Bowl remains a highly coveted spot for many artists.
“Some of those artists do not see their appearance as a political statement, nor do they see the show as a cultural battleground, but rather view their live performance as an opportunity to entertain an enthusiastic crowd and to share their music and their talent with millions of viewers.”
Topics: Kendrick Lamar, Super Bowl, Music, Money
Gregory Robinson