Kendrick Lamar Reveals Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Special Guest

Grammy-winning artist SZA will join forces with Kendrick Lamar at next month’s Super Bowl halftime performance, bringing their recent string of collaborations to football’s biggest stage. The announcement arrived Thursday via a playful trailer showing Lamar discussing guest performers on a football field before SZA surprises him with a slow-motion Gatorade shower. The performance is scheduled for Feb. 9 in New Orleans.

Apple Music released the 30-second teaser featuring the two artists, with the description, “Hip-Hop’s MVP takes the big stage, with guest performer SZA.” The collaboration builds on their existing creative partnership, as SZA appears on two tracks from Lamar’s recent album GNX (“luther” and “gloria”), while Lamar features on SZA’s “30 For 30” from her 2024 project SOS Deluxe: Lana.

The timing aligns with their upcoming Grand National Tour, set to begin in April. The pair’s history of successful collaborations includes their 2018 Oscar-nominated track “All the Stars” from Black Panther: The Album.

Lamar’s selection as headliner was announced in September through a video featuring the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist in front of an American flag. “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar declared. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”

NFL head of music Seth Dudowsky endorsed the choice, stating, “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.”

This marks Lamar’s second Super Bowl appearance, following his 2022 performance alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. Adweek reports that his creative firm, pgLang, will handle the creative direction for this year’s show as they aim to surpass last year’s record-breaking viewership of 123.4 million set by Usher’s performance.

The announcement comes during a notable period for both artists. SZA’s recent film with Keke Palmer, One of Them Days, has achieved both commercial and critical success, while Lamar’s controversial diss track “Not Like Us” targeting Drake has earned Grammy nominations for record and song of the year.

Apple Music has curated special playlists under “Kendrick Lamar’s Road to Halftime” to build anticipation for the performance. The streaming platform’s promotional efforts include the creative teaser, which hints at the performance’s direction through imagery of uniformed figures moving in formation across the field.