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Super Bowl LIX halftime show

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Super Bowl LIX halftime show
Part ofSuper Bowl LIX
DateFebruary 9, 2025
LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
VenueCaesars Superdome
HeadlinerKendrick Lamar
Special guests
SponsorApple Music
DirectorHamish Hamilton
Producer
Super Bowl halftime show chronology
LVIII
(2024) 		LIX
(2025) 		LX
(2026)

The Super Bowl LIX halftime show, officially known as the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, was the halftime entertainment of Super Bowl LIX, which took place on February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. It featured rapper Kendrick Lamar as the headline performer, with guest appearances from SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, and DJ Mustard.[1] The show was televised nationally in the U.S. by Fox and Fox Deportes, and streamed on Tubi and NFL+.[2][3]

Background

[edit]

Selection process

[edit]

The process of deciding a headline performer for the Super Bowl halftime show is disputed.[4] According to The Charlotte Observer, it begins with a panel that includes the National Football League's (NFL) director of entertainment, members of its production company, and the halftime show's director and producer. A short list of potential performers is created and given to the Super Bowl's host city, who makes the final decision.[5] However, members of its host committee claimed that a headline performer is solely picked by the league, and they are notified on who was chosen in the same manner as the general public.[6]

On August 13, 2019, the NFL announced a partnership with Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and his entertainment company Roc Nation to be named the league's live music entertainment strategist.[7] In that role, Jay-Z and his firm became co-producers and consultants of the Super Bowl halftime show, allowing them to be involved in selecting music for NFL usage and choosing entertainers to perform in televised promotional spots throughout the season.[8] "We really wanted to start to focus on leading to culture," Seth Dudowsky, the league's head of music, explained. "Whether that's the culture of the city, what's happening in culture at large and then focusing on it so that what we’re doing feels culturally relevant and using that platform for artists to be able to be themselves and show their art on stage. We want them to feel empowered."[9]

Kendrick Lamar previously headlined the Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige, with 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak serving as special guests.[10] The first halftime show to be centered entirely around hip hop music,[11] it was met with critical acclaim and won three Primetime Emmy Awards, including a historic win for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).[12] Lamar's "thrilling" and "electrifying" performance was highlighted by several critics.[13][14] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called it "stunning — ecstatically liquid in flow, moving his body with jagged vigor."[15] Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield opined that he deserved an entire slot to himself.[16]

Artists in contention

[edit]

Lil Wayne publicly campaigned to headline a Super Bowl halftime show, especially one hosted in his hometown of New Orleans.[17] He was an initial candidate to perform, according to Stephen A. Smith for ESPN.[18] "I'd kill that shit," Wayne exclaimed in an interview with Rolling Stone's Andre Gee. "We wouldn't even worry about the game after that. Everybody knew that one kid [who] was watching the halftime show, but that’d be one of the first Super Bowls that they'll be like, 'Both teams were out on the field watching the halftime show.'"[17] By February 2024, Wayne was not given the call from the NFL, but he remained hopeful about his chances.[19] "We all praying, we keeping our fingers crossed," he told YG. "I'm working hard. I'm going to make sure this next album and everything I do is killer, so I want to just make it hard for them not to highlight the boy."[19]

Headliner announcement

[edit]

Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.

– Lamar on headlining the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, The Hollywood Reporter[20]

On September 8, 2024, before the first full slate of regular season matches went underway, the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Lamar as the headlining act for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show.[21] He is the first rapper to lead the festivities multiple times.[22] Lamar shared the news by posting a promotional trailer on YouTube, which was directed by his long-time creative partner Dave Free.[23] The one-shot trailer shows him on a football field in front of a large American flag throwing footballs through a passing machine at off-screen players.[23] As he shouts motivational remarks to them, he introduces himself as the headliner.[23] On January 23, 2025, it was announced that SZA would be joining as a special guest.[24]

Reception

[edit]

The decision to have Lamar headline the halftime show polarized the rap industry.[25] Media outlets described Lil Wayne not being chosen as the headliner as a snub, and he admitted the announcement "broke" him.[26][27] Birdman,[28] Boosie Badazz,[29] Cam'ron,[30] Mase,[31] Master P,[32] and Nicki Minaj condemned Jay-Z for the "egregious" selection and accused him of factoring in his complicated relationship with Lil Wayne and other artists under his record label, Young Money Entertainment.[33][34] On the other hand, Charlamagne tha God,[35] Fabolous,[36] Fat Joe,[37] and Jay Electronica defended Jay-Z, noting that he was not the only one involved in deciding the headliner.[38]

Critics were more positive about Lamar's announcement, praising it as a historic and full circle accomplishment that ties to the beginning of his escalated feud with Drake. The editorial staff of HipHopDX, led by Elliott Wilson, opined that he was the right choice, citing his legacy, catalog, and showmanship as prime examples.[39] Justin Sayles of The Ringer believes the halftime performance announcement is the capstone of a year that has seen Lamar "ascend to the highest levels" of popular culture, and seen Drake "sink to the lowest levels" of his career.[40] David Dennis Jr. of Andscape declared the announcement as a final, definitive reminder that Lamar has completed "one of the most undeniable one-sided victories in rap history."[41] USA Today's Mike Freeman argued that it showcased a prominent example of Jay-Z's influence on the NFL's mostly conservative owners by "unabashedly injecting Black culture into the league's Super Bowl bloodstream."[42] However, some commentators found it hypocritical of Lamar to headline the performance given his reputation as a socially aware rapper and the NFL's troubled history with social justice initiatives.[41]

On November 22, 2024, Kendrick Lamar released his sixth studio album, GNX.[43] In the song "Wacced Out Murals", he mentions Lil Wayne's reaction towards his Super Bowl announcement. He opines his hard work let Lil Wayne down, and that Nas was the only rap artist to praise him for it.[44]

Development

[edit]

Creative direction for the performance was provided by Lamar and Free's company, PGLang.[20] It was produced by Diversified Production Services (DPS) and directed by Hamish Hamilton.[20] Jesse Collins, Jay-Z and Roc Nation executive produced the telecast for a sixth year; the latter agency also served as strategic entertainment advisors.[20]

Performance synopsis

[edit]

The performance began with Kendrick Lamar and his backup dancers getting out of a 1980s Buick Regal coupe and onto a stage resembling a giant PlayStation controller. The opening was a portion of the unreleased song "Bodies".[45] Samuel L. Jackson appeared in a recurring role as Uncle Sam, who provided satirical commentary and advice to Kendrick between songs to illustrate the spirit of America.[46] Lamar initially teased a performance of "Not Like Us," playing the beat and stating "I wanna play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue."[47] Lamar played "Luther" and "All the Stars" with SZA before returning to "Not Like Us." Professional tennis player Serena Williams, who shares Lamar's hometown of Compton, made a cameo appearance as a dancer doing a crip walk during "Not Like Us",[48] a reference to Williams performing a similar dance after her victory at the 2012 Summer Olympics, for which she faced some criticism. Williams's appearance was also received as a diss towards Drake, with whom she was rumored to have dated several years earlier.[49][50][51] The performance was capped off by “Tv Off” with Mustard coming out as a special guest, finally with Lamar “turning the TV off” and displaying the words “GAME OVER” through crowd wristband lights.

Flag protester incident

[edit]

A protester waving a combination of the Sudanese flag and the Palestinian flag with the words "Sudan" and "Gaza" written on it, as well as a heart and a raised fist, stood on the stage during Lamar's performance on top of a black GNX, and ran around the field before being tackled by security. The man, a member of Lamar's field cast, had concealed the flag on his person without the knowledge of organizers before unfurling it during the performance.[52][53] Roc Nation stated that the protest "was neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal." The performer was "banned for life" from all NFL stadiums and events, with the New Orleans Police initially saying they were "working to determine applicable charges in this incident."[54] New Orleans Police later confirmed they would not file charges.[55]

Critical reception

[edit]

Lisa Respers France of CNN called "Not Like Us" the star of the halftime performance,[56] while Maria Sherman of the Associated Press described Lamar performing the song on the biggest stage in U.S. sports, especially days after the song swept the Grammy Awards, as another step in Lamar's continued victory lap in his feud with Drake.[57]

Some sources believed that the halftime show was a political commentary and protest against Donald Trump, who had recently been inaugurated to a second term and attended the game. Observers noted that dancers dressed in red, white, and blue arranged themselves to look like a divided American flag as Lamar performed "Humble," as well as Lamar chanting "The revolution 'bout to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy."[58][59][60]

Bobby Olivier of NJ.com wrote, "While Lamar is certainly one of hip-hop's great minds and typically a blistering performer, the 37-year-old emcee came up small here: serviceable at best, pedestrian at worst".[61]

Set list

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Source: Billboard[62]

  1. "Bodies"
  2. "Squabble Up"
  3. "Humble"
  4. "DNA"
  5. "Euphoria"
  6. "Man at the Garden"
  7. "Peekaboo"
  8. "Luther" (with SZA)
  9. "All the Stars" (with SZA)
  10. "Not Like Us"
  11. "TV Off" (with Mustard)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Every surprise celebrity guest in Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show". The Independent. February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  2. ^ Obias, Rudie (February 9, 2025). "Super Bowl Apple Music Halftime Show 2025: Where to Stream Kendrick Lamar's Performance Online Free". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  3. ^ Bassam, Tom (March 23, 2021). "The NFL's new broadcast rights deals: Billions of dollars, evolving contracts and streaming plans". SportsPro. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Inman, DeMicia (September 10, 2024). "How Is The Super Bowl Halftime Performer Chosen?". Vibe. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  5. ^ Santiago, Evan (February 14, 2022). "How Super Bowl halftime headliners are chosen and why they work for free". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  6. ^ Dennis Jr, David (September 10, 2024). "Lil Wayne's absence is the elephant in the room at the Super Bowl halftime show". Andscape. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  7. ^ Belson, Ken; Sisario, Ben (August 13, 2019). "N.F.L. and Jay-Z Team Up on Music and Social Justice Campaign". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  8. ^ Maske, Mark (August 13, 2019). "NFL partners with Jay-Z on Super Bowl halftime entertainment, social justice initiative". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  9. ^ Landrum Jr, Jonathan (January 31, 2024). "From marching bands to megastars: How the Super Bowl halftime show became a global spectacle". Associated Press. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
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  48. ^ "Serena Williams adds star power to Kendrick Lamar's halftime show". ESPN.com. February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
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  52. ^ Breech, John (February 10, 2025). "Protester crashes Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show overcoming heavy security to get on field". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  53. ^ Henderson, Cyndney (February 10, 2025). "Protestor crashes Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl halftime show; tackled by security on field". www.aol.com. USA Today. Retrieved February 10, 2025 – via AOL.
  54. ^ "Super Bowl halftime performer detained after unfurling Sudanese-Palestinian flag". AP News. February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  55. ^ "Super Bowl halftime performer won't face charges for flag protest". ABC News (United States). February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  56. ^ France, Lisa Respers (February 10, 2025). "How Drake lost worse than the Chiefs at the Super Bowl". CNN. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  57. ^ Sherman, Maria (February 9, 2025). "Review: Kendrick Lamar brings America and 'Not Like Us' into history-making Super Bowl halftime show". Associated Press. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  58. ^ "America Has a Problem: Unpacking Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl symbolism". Dazed Media. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  59. ^ Jokic, Natasha. "17 Easter Eggs And Small Details From Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show". BuzzFeed. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  60. ^ "'40 Acres and a Mule': Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl 59 Wasn't Just for Drake When Donald Trump Was His Real Target". FandomWire. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  61. ^ Oliver, Bobby (February 9, 2025). "Super Bowl halftime show 2025 review: Kendrick Lamar kills the vibe with dullest set in years". NJ.com. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  62. ^ Lamarre, Carl (February 9, 2025). "Kendrick Lamar Caps Off Victory Lap With Searing Super Bowl Halftime Show Featuring SZA, Samuel L. Jackson & More". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
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