The NFL announced that rapper Kendrick Lamar will perform at the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime show last week, making him the first hip-hop artist to solo headline the prominent primetime slot. The Super Bowl will be held at the Caesars Superdome stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana on Feb. 9, 2025.
The announcement comes after a rap feud and a summer No.1 hit for Lamar. The Compton rapper beefed with Canadian rapper, Drake. The back-and-forth came with several music releases for Lamar this summer, including “euphoria,” “meet the grahams” and “Not Like Us,” which has over 700 million streams on Spotify.
“Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer. His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision,” Jay-Z said in an NFL press release. “He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”
Students like Kasey Napper, a junior marketing major from Riverside, California, believe the beef, during which Lamar released three songs in one week, amplified his career by allowing people to consecutively listen to his lyricism and artistry.
“It was a lot to see, like music back-to-back-to-back. He had a couple songs that’ve been on the radio, and TikTok dances or whatever. But with this Drake beef, it made him a lot more relevant, especially like today,” she said.
Discourse about the announcement spread quickly across social media. Some fans were disappointed an artist from Louisiana was not picked for this opportunity, specifically Lil Wayne.
The Super Bowl has been hosted in New Orleans 10 times and featured performers like Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child, U2, and the Southern and Grambling State Marching Bands. It isn’t guaranteed or common for Super Bowl performers to be native to the host city.
Young Money Entertainment (Wayne’s record label) member Nicki Minaj tweeted, “That’s why so many ppl keep saying to give our legends their flowers while they are still around to smell them. Sitting around all day playing games with ppl life & legacy.”
Similarly, rapper and Young Money Entertainment affiliate Birdman took to X to express his stance on the issue, tagging Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Lil Wayne, emphasizing the importance of respecting their contributions and legacies.
Maya McDonald, a junior nursing major from New Orleans, said performance-wise Kendrick Lamar was the better choice but she understands why people are upset.
“Because New Orleans has a deep history with music, why would they not pick someone from New Orleans? Especially in L.A. when they picked all L.A. rappers and stuff. But I like the choice,” McDonald said.
Lil Wayne responded to the discourse in an Instagram video five days after the announcement.
“I️ thought that was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot,” he said.
In the video, Lil Wayne also blamed himself for mentally putting himself in the position but thanked all of his fans, family and peers for their love and support. Other artists like Boosie Badazz and Cam’Ron took to social media to show their support towards Wayne.
Selma Apara, a junior computer science major, said she hopes Lamar turns the situation around for Wayne and possibly other artists from the area.
“He probably will bring out some people from Louisiana, because he’s big on Black culture and community,” Apara said.
Napper, who is from California, said she is inspired by Lamar, who is also from California, considering many smaller artists from the state are trying to get their name out to a wider audience.
“I’m from the Inland Empire [a region in southern California] and there’s a lot of different rappers that I feel like people would love if there was a lot more light shown on them. So when someone that’s blowing up is from California, it feels good,” she said.
Following the announcement, fans observed that the past six Super Bowl Halftime shows featured artists of color. Coincidentally in 2019, Roc Nation, an entertainment company founded by Jay-Z, joined the NFL in a partnership to “spearhead and advise on the selection of artists for NFL tentpole performances, including the Super Bowl.”
Napper said the featuring of artists of color to headline the halftime performance reflects the current world of music.
“We [people of color] are what people are listening to,” she said. “People are watching the football game, but a lot of people tune in for the performance. Popular entertainment [artists] that put on shows just happened to be people of color.”
Copy edited by Anijah Franklin
