Kendrick Lamar Performs at Super Bowl Halftime Show Without Being Paid

Kendrick Lamar, the rap artist from Los Angeles, took the lead in the highly anticipated Super Bowl LIX halftime show on Sunday, performing in front of over 120 million viewers.

The 13-minute performance, which divided fans, included the extremely popular diss track “Not Like Us” aimed at Drake, a song that had recently swept five Grammy nominations. This performance marked what was likely the biggest event of the year for Lamar. However, many fans might be surprised to learn that at 37 years old, the rapper would not receive any payment for his performance.

NFL’s Halftime Show Payment Policy

The National Football League (NFL) has a long-standing policy of not paying artists for their halftime performances. While the NFL does cover the production costs of the show, the artists themselves are not compensated. A 2020 Reuters report revealed that the PepsiCo-sponsored halftime show, which featured Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, had a production cost of approximately $13 million.

In 2016, Joanna Hunter, a representative for the NFL, shared with Forbes: “We do not pay artists. We cover production costs and expenses.”

It remains unclear how much the production costs were for Lamar’s halftime show performance.

Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX Performance

The Super Bowl LIX halftime show lasted about 15 minutes and took place between the first and second halves of the highly anticipated Big Game, which saw a face-off between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. Lamar, who previously appeared in the 2021 Super Bowl LVI halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige, was now the lead performer. This time, he joined forces with SZA to perform tracks from his latest album GNX.

The show opened with a surprise appearance from none other than actor Samuel L. Jackson, who appeared as “Uncle Sam”, wearing a red, white, and blue uniform. Lamar kicked off his performance with a snippet of an unreleased song before moving on to perform “Squabble Up” from GNX.

A standout moment of the performance featured a Buick Grand National Experimental car on stage, the vehicle named after the album GNX, which was also the car that Lamar’s father used to bring him home from the hospital after his birth.

Performance of “Humble.” and “DNA.”

Lamar then transitioned to perform two of the biggest hits from his 2017 album “DAMN.” — “Humble.” and “DNA.”. After this, Lamar teased an upcoming performance of “Not Like Us”, his famous diss track aimed at Drake, with a surprise appearance from Serena Williams.

He performed a short snippet of “Not Like Us” before shifting to “Luther”, a track from the soundtrack of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Lamar’s Powerful Closing Moment

Lamar concluded his performance with a censored version of “Not Like Us”, although he still mentioned Drake’s name and used the controversial lyric “A-List” from the track. The crowd at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans joined in, chanting the lyric along with Lamar.

In the lead-up to the performance, Lamar shared his intentions to bring Los Angeles hip-hop vibes to New Orleans while staying true to his storytelling roots. In a press conference hosted by Apple Music, Lamar explained his approach:

“Living in the present and focusing on the current emotion and energy — that’s the LA energy for me,” Lamar said. “That’s what I want to bring to New Orleans and show the world. This is me. This is Kendrick Lamar, 37 years old, and I still feel like I’m rising, still on my journey.”

Lamar’s Focus on Storytelling

When asked what the audience could expect from his performance, Lamar responded: “Storytelling. I think I’ve always been very open about telling stories through all my categories and music history. And I’ve always had a passion for bringing that to any stage I’m on.”

Though Lamar didn’t receive payment for his Super Bowl LIX halftime show performance, it was a groundbreaking moment for the rapper, showcasing his versatility as a performer and his commitment to storytelling through music. His performance, which included a mix of his older hits and newer tracks, resonated with both his long-time fans and new audiences, proving his place as one of the greatest rappers of his generation.

This historic moment was one that will likely be remembered for years to come, not just because of Lamar’s performance, but also due to the fact that he did it for the love of hip-hop, not for money.