There were plenty of directions the NFL could have gone in to figure out its Super Bowl 59 halftime performer.
The spectacle, held smack dab in the middle of America’s biggest annual sporting event, routinely lingers in spectators’ minds long after the music draws to a close. With this year’s game being held in New Orleans, there were a slew of artists capable of leading the line on Super Bowl Sunday.
Lil Wayne was heavily linked with the responsibility, an understandable recommendation given his Big Easy roots. In the end, the NFL opted for another rapper who has been on its radar. He was certainly a popular choice.
With that, here’s what you need to know about the star of the Super Bowl 59 halftime show, who will hope to follow in the footsteps of Usher, Rihanna, The Who, and Prince, among many others, as stars to have shown out on the grandest of stages in American sports.
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Who is performing during halftime of Super Bowl 59?
Kendrick Lamar will grace the marquee for Super Bowl 59’s halftime show in New Orleans.
The primary performer regularly calls on a cast of additional characters to join them on the stage. No special guests have been announced yet, although Lamar has a treasure trove of artists he could call upon if he so desires.
This won’t be Lamar’s first rodeo with the Super Bowl. In 2022, Lamar came to the stage, performing alongside Dr. Dre. The legendary producer also enlisted Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige to lend their vocals over the course of his performance.
Lamar has 57 Grammy nominations and 17 Grammy wins to his name. He recently dropped his widely-regarded sixth studio album, “GNX.” Some believe more music is in store for the Compton-based artist in 2025.
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What time does the Super Bowl halftime show start?
The Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the first half will end around 90 minutes later. The halftime will start around 8 p.m. Halftime will last about 20 to 30 minutes to include the performance and production set up and break down.
Who is Kendrick Lamar?
Lamar is one of his generation’s greatest lyricists, garnering worldwide acclaim over the course of his two-decade career.
The 37-year-old built a loyal following in the late 2000s and early 2010s, dropping a pair of high-profile releases — mixtape “Overly Dedicated” (2009) and debut studio album “Section.80” (2011). In 2012, he released “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City,” a titan of a record that spawned hit singles “Money Trees,” “B—, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” “Poetic Justice,” and “Backseat Freestyle.”
Lamar has gone from strength-to-strength in the years since, releasing another four albums as well as a smattering of other projects. Almost all of his drops have earned some form of critical praise.
Lamar is coming off a banner 2024, returning to the top of the rap charts after a high-profile feud with Drake. His Super Bowl appearance, while arguably antithetical to some of his previous sentiments, should provide him another opportunity to take a victory lap.
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Do performers get paid for the Super Bowl halftime show?
The simple answer is nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Super Bowl performers do not receive a single cent for their exploits. That’s not to say the NFL leaves these musicians up a creek without a paddle.
The league covers the costs of the theatrics. That means the plume of smoke you see as Lamar walks onto the stage? The NFL is writing that check. The sturdy stage frame awash with glimmering strobe lights? That, too, is handled by the league’s accountants. Often, the Hollywood-level cinematography needed to put down a Grade-A performance can run the NFL millions of dollars.
Free labor isn’t ideal. But performing at the Super Bowl can — and has — become fairly economically viable for some of music’s acts. The reason why? It offers a platform to introduce their sound to billions who haven’t previously interacted with it.
Super Bowl halftime performers generally experience a sudden bump in their streaming numbers after their show. That means more streams, more sales and more money. Maroon 5’s sales sky-rocketed 434 percent on the day of their halftime show back in 2019, per Billboard. Justin Timberlake experienced a similar uptick, upping his album sales 534 percent after his ’18 showcase. Lady Gaga was reported to have seen her numbers surge by 1,000 percent after rocking the house at Super Bowl 51 in ’17.
Who is singing the national anthem at Super Bowl 59?
Five-time Grammy winner — and New Orleans native — Jon Batiste will perform “The Star-Splangled Banner” at Super Bowl 59.
History of Super Bowl halftime show performers
| Super Bowl | Year | Performer(s) |
| 1 | 1967 | “Super Sighs and Sounds” with University of Arizona and Grambling State University bands |
| 2 | 1968 | Grambling State University band |
| 3 | 1969 | “America Thanks” with Florida A&M University band and Miami-area high school bands |
| 4 | 1970 | “Tribute to New Orleans” with Southern University band, Al Hirt, Lionel Hampton, Doc Severinsen, Marguerite Piazza |
| 5 | 1971 | Southeast Missouri State band |
| 6 | 1972 | “Salute to Louis Armstrong” with Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Channing, Al Hirt, and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Team |
| 7 | 1973 | “Happiness Is…” with University of Michigan Band, Andy Williams, and Woody Herman |
| 8 | 1974 | “A Musical America” with University of Texas Band |
| 9 | 1975 | “Tribute to Duke Ellington” with Mercer Ellington and Grambling State University bands |
| 10 | 1976 | “200 Years and Just a Baby: A Tribute to America’s Bicentennial” featuring Up With People |
| 11 | 1977 | “It’s a Small World” by Walt Disney Productions, including spectators waving colored placards on cue |
| 12 | 1978 | “From Paris to the Paris of America” with Pete Fountain, Al Hirt and The Apache Band |
| 13 | 1979 | “Salute to the Caribbean” with Ken Hamilton and various bands |
| 14 | 1980 | “A Salute to the Big Band Era” featuring Up With People |
| 15 | 1981 | “A Mardi Gras Festival” with Pete Fountain and the Southern University band |
| 16 | 1982 | “A Salute to the 60’s and Motown” featuring Up With People |
| 17 | 1983 | “KaleidoSUPERscope” (a kaleidoscope of color and sound, also featuring spectator-held colored placards) |
| 18 | 1984 | “Salute to the Superstars of the Silver Screen” from Walt Disney Productions |
| 19 | 1985 | “A World of Children’s Dreams” featuring Tops in Blue |
| 20 | 1986 | “Beat of the Future” featuring Up With People |
| 21 | 1987 | “Salute to Hollywood’s 100th Anniversary and The Land of Make Believe”, a Disney production featuring high school bands |
| 22 | 1988 | “Something Grand” featuring Chubby Checker, 88 grand pianos, the Rockettes, and the USC and San Diego State bands |
| 23 | 1989 | “BeBop Bamboozled” featuring 3-D effects |
| 24 | 1990 | “Salute to New Orleans” and 40th Anniversary of Peanuts’ characters, featuring Doug Kershaw and Irma Thomas |
| 25 | 1991 | “A Small World Salute to 25 Years of the Super Bowl” featuring New Kids on the Block |
| 26 | 1992 | “Winter Magic” featuring Gloria Estefan and figure skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill |
| 27 | 1993 | “Heal the World” featuring Michael Jackson |
| 28 | 1994 | “Rockin’ Country Sunday” featuring Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna,, and Naomi Judd |
| 29 | 1995 | “Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye” featuring Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, Arturo Sandoval, the Miami Sound Machine |
| 30 | 1996 | “Take Me Higher: A Celebration of 30 Years of the Super Bowl” featuring Diana Ross |
| 31 | 1997 | “Blues Brothers Bash” featuring Dan Akroyd, John Goodman, James Belushi, James Brown and ZZ Top |
| 32 | 1998 | “A Tribute to Motown’s 40th Anniversary” including Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves, and The Temptations |
| 33 | 1999 | “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing” featuring Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Savion Glover |
| 34 | 2000 | “A Tapestry of Nations” featuring Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, and Toni Braxton |
| 35 | 2001 | “The Kings of Rock and Pop” featuring Aerosmith and NSYNC with guests Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige,, and Nelly |
| 36 | 2002 | U2 |
| 37 | 2003 | Shania Twain and No Doubt with guest Sting |
| 38 | 2004 | “Choose or Lose” featuring Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Kid Rock, P. Diddy, Nelly, and Jessica Simpson |
| 39 | 2005 | Paul McCartney |
| 40 | 2006 | The Rolling Stones |
| 41 | 2007 | Prince |
| 42 | 2008 | Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers |
| 43 | 2009 | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band |
| 44 | 2010 | The Who |
| 45 | 2011 | The Black Eyed Peas with guests Usher and Slash |
| 46 | 2012 | Madonna with guests Cee Lo Green, LMFAO, M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj |
| 47 | 2013 | Beyoncé with guests Destiny’s Child |
| 48 | 2014 | Bruno Mars with guests Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| 49 | 2015 | Katy Perry with guests Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz |
| 50 | 2016 | Coldplay with guests Beyoncé and Bruno Mars |
| 51 | 2017 | Lady Gaga |
| 52 | 2018 | Justin Timberlake |
| 53 | 2019 | Maroon 5 with guests Travis Scott and Big Boi |
| 54 | 2020 | Shakira and Jennifer Lopez with guests Bad Bunny and J Balvin |
| 55 | 2021 | The Weeknd |
| 56 | 2022 | Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar |
| 57 | 2023 | Rihanna |
| 58 | 2024 | Usher with guests Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., Ludacris, Lil Jon, Will.I.Am |
| 59 | 2025 | Kendrick Lamar |
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