Ahead of the Super Bowl on Sunday, there are a lot of questions floating around, with many fans wondering what songs Kendrick Lamar will play for his halftime performance. But that's not all viewers are wondering; also curious about just how much the big-name performers get paid to take the stage during one of the biggest television events of the year.
While it may come as a shock to some, the "Not Like Us" rapper, much like every halftime show performer to come before him, will not be receiving a single cent for headlining the Super Bowl LIX Apple Music Halftime Show on Feb. 9. As the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles battle one another at the New Orleans’ Ceasars Superdome, the athletes on the field are getting paid the big bucks--but the halftime performers...not so much.
“We do not pay the artists,” NFL spokesperson Joanna Hunter told Forbes back in 2016. “We cover expenses and production costs.”
It's definitely surprising to see the biggest artists in the world like Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, and Shakira do such a big job for free, but it serves as a rite of passage for these stars. While the concert may only be 15 minutes, performers still spend weeks, if not months, prepping for the performance, often tapping many of their famous friends to perform along with them.
“The halftime show at the Super Bowl remains a highly coveted spot for many artists,” entertainment attorney Lori Landew told Forbes in 2019. “Some of those artists do not see their appearance as a political statement, nor do they see the show as a cultural battleground, but rather view their live performance as an opportunity to entertain an enthusiastic crowd and to share their music and their talent with millions of viewers.”
While this is his first headlining slot, Kendrick's performance at this game won’t be the first time he’s made his way to the Super Bowl stage. He previously performed as a guest artist in 2022 alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem, who all popped out for the Super Bowl in Los Angeles. This time around, however, the Compton native will make history as the first solo rapper to ever headline the Super Bowl.
And ahead of the performance, which will include a special appearance from his frequent collaborator SZA, Kendrick got some advice from Usher, who delighted the crowd with his medley of hits during the 2024 Super Bowl.
“The one thing I would say is, savor the moment,” he told Jennifer Hudson during a recent episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show. “You get obsessed with trying to build the best performance, but you don’t realize that it’s really about enjoying it. It might not be perfect, everything might not go exactly the way it supposed to but if you are in your mind, and stuck trying to make something perfect, you’re not gonna look up and smell the flowers.”