Kendrick Lamar brings an old friend for his Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show performance with the announcement that his frequent collaborator and former record partner SZA will join him on stage.
In a promotional clip shared on his social media accounts, Lamar is shown chatting on his cell on a football field, where he says he plans to bring another artist during the performance. “I’ve been thinking about a guest artist,” he says before being cut off by SZA, who spills a cooler of blue drink on him in slow motion.
The guest appearance doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as the two have long been collaborators. Most recently, SZA appeared for two songs — “Luther” and “Gloria” — on Lamar’s surprise album release, “GNX,” while he brought back SZA’s “30 for 30” from “Lana.”
The Super Bowl performance is a well-timed tee-up for Lamar and SZA’s upcoming 2025 Grand National Tourscheduled to start in Minnesota on April 19. The 19-date trek will make stops in Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Detroit and Los Angeles, before concluding in Washington, DC on June 18.
Super Bowl LIX is scheduled to be played on February 9, 2025 at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans and will be televised on Fox. The telecast will be produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins as executive producers. Hamish Hamilton will direct, while creative direction is handled by pgLang.
The performance will be Lamar’s second during the halftime show, following his featured slot during Dr. Dre’s 2022 all-star tag team of Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent. It also follows Lamar’s musical battle with Drake earlier this year, which not only resulted in a resounding win for the Compton-born rapper, but one of the year’s biggest songs with “Not Like Us.”
