Image Courtesy of Kenny Sun via flickr

Compton born Kendrick Lamar is set to perform in New Orleans, Louisiana for the Super Bowl 59 halftime show making this his second appearance at the Super Bowl

The SuperBowl is among the most-watched sports events that are hosted in various American cities annually. The event is centered around American football and is hosted by the National Football League (NFL). The first SuperBowl was held on January 15, 1967, in sunny Los Angeles, California at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Now when people think of the SuperBowl halftime shows, they think of glamorous presentations with some of the world’s biggest artists, but it wasn’t always that way. In the first SuperBowl, the halftime show included bands from the University of Arizona and Grambling State University. From then on, the halftime shows weren’t always the most well-received, as some of the performances people would see included Disney promotion and even a fake Elvis. 

The first halftime show that could be perceived as a modern halftime show was Michael Jacksons’ headlining show. Jackson performed hits such as “Billie Jean” and “Heal The World”. From then on, big names such as Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Shakira, and most recently Usher performed at the event. These shows are some of the most anticipated parts of the whole event as many people tune in to watch to see their favorite artists perform one of the most important performances of their careers.

On September 8th, 2024, Kendrick Lamar posted a video of himself on a football field with the American flag as a backdrop with a machine throwing footballs. In the video, Kendrick Lamar announces that he will be performing at SuperBowl LIX. This was met with much praise from his fans, as he is one of the biggest rappers in the world right now, with his most recent big hit of the year- his song, “Not Like Us”. 

In the video caption, Lamar writes  “New Orleans” as the SuperBowl is being hosted in New Orleans at the Caesars SuperDome. New Orleans has hosted the SuperBowl ten times, and hosting it for the 11th time makes it the city that has hosted the most SuperBowls. He also put “February 2025,” which is the month when the game will be played. 

Kendrick Lamar had previously performed at the SuperBowl performance hosted by Dr. Dre. This show had some of the most well-known rappers on the West Coast because it was held in Inglewood, California. Kendrick Lamar, being very well known and having history in Compton, was invited to perform that year.

This was not met without criticism, however, as many fans of the rapper Lil Wayne were upset at the news. They believed Lil Wayne should have performed, due to the SuperBowl being hosted in the city he was born in. Lil Wayne later stated that his “snub” of the halftime show “broke him”. Many blamed rapper Jay-Z, as he is a big part of the vetting process for the halftime show. Critics believe he has had problems with Lil Wayne and that was the reason he didn’t choose the New Orleans native. Many other rappers like Nicki Minaj came to Lil Wayne’s defense, stating “hatred for BIRDMAN, Drake and Nicki got you punishing”.

Overall, the Super Bowl halftime show is one of the most anticipated events of the year, which puts lots of stress and anxiety on the artist who is performing. This 15-minute segment takes months of preparation to make sure everything is perfect. Artists always put on a spectacle for the audience to see and Kendrick Lamar will surely bring out lots of energy to the Caesars SuperDome in New Orleans.