Kendrick Lamar’s found his next venue to strike a chord: the Super Bowl.
NFL and Apple Music announced the Pulitzer-winning rapper will headline next year’s halftime show, set to take place at New Orleans’ Caesars Thunderdome on Feb. 9. Lamar announced the news in a video posted to YouTube.
“You know there’s only one opportunity to win a championship,” Lamar said in the video, in which he shot footballs out from a machine against a U.S. flag backdrop. “No round 2s.”
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Since taking the halftime show over in 2022, Jay Z’s Roc Nation has used the annual most-watched concert to highlight rap music and Black talent’s impact. Next year will mark Lamar’s second round at the halftime show after his 2022 appearance alongside Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Eminem. Since then, Rihanna and Usher have headlined the annual most-watched television event.
“Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer,” Roc Nation founder Jay Z said in a statement, according to Variety. “His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision. 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.”
Lamar is coming off a banner year after his rap battle with Drake, which launched two top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including the multi-week No. 1 smash “Not Like Us.” The song and its eventual music video cemented Lamar as the feud’s winner, and a pop-up concert in June featured Lamar playing the song five times consecutively.
Drake, who responded to “Not Like Us” with the universally panned “The Heart Part 6,” has never played the Super Bowl.
