Why Some People Are Criticizing the Choice of Kendrick Lamar to Headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show

While the news that Grammy Award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar will headline the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX halftime show next February was largely positive, some criticized the choice online.

The National Football League (NFL), Roc Nation, and Apple Music announced on Sunday that the rapper will headline the Feb. 9 Game in New Orleans. It’s the second time Lamar will perform at the Super Bowl—which he did in 2022, alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and other California artists.

Lamar shared the news in a YouTube video on Sunday.

“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar, whose full name is Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, said in a press release on Sunday. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”

Fans celebrated the news, with many noting that this has been a busy year for Lamar. In the spring, Lamar, and rapper Drake, both 37, were embroiled in a high-profile beef as the two rappers traded jabs and levied allegations about each other’s personal lives via diss tracks, including Lamar’s number one song “Not Like Us.”

“OMG!!!!!!!!! THIS IS KENDRICK LAMAR’S YEAR!!!!!!” one fan posted on X, in a reply to Lamar’s post announcing the news.

“Kendrick Lamar performing ‘Not Like Us’ to the world at the Super Bowl. Might be the greatest diss of all time, I fear,” another user posted on X.

But some people questioned Lamar as the choice for the Super Bowl, saying that New Orleans native rapper Lil Wayne should have been selected to headline the show instead, since February’s big Game is being held in his hometown. Lamar is from Compton, Calif.

On Monday, Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was trending on X as debates sparked online about whether the 41-year-old Grammy winner should have been chosen for the big Game. Lil Wayne has released multiple number one albums, including The Carter II, The Carter III, The Carter IV, and in 2023, he was inducted into Billboard's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame.

“Lil Wayne def should’ve been picked to perform at the superbowl,” one user posted on X. “He’s literally from New Orleans and a rap legend…”

Others pointed out that, in the past, halftime show performers haven’t typically been chosen based on their hometown, but rather based on factors relating to their success and current relevance to pop culture.

“So I’ve looked through the list of Super Bowl halftime show performers from Michael Jackson in 1993 onward, and just calling it down the middle, I don’t understand where people had an idea that artists did hometown halftime show performances. That doesn’t seem to be a thing,” one person posted on X.

The Super Bowl halftime show is one of the biggest music events of the year, featuring some of the most renowned singers. Past performers include Michael Jackson, Rihanna, and Usher.

Lamar has won 17 Grammy Awards, and won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for his album DAMN.

“Few artists have impacted music and culture as profoundly as Kendrick Lamar,” Seth Dudowsky, Head of Music at the NFL, said in a press release. “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.”