Rapper Kendrick Lamar will headline the Super Bowl half-time show, the National Football League and Apple Music announced on Sunday.
It will be the second time the Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning artist will perform in one of the most coveted events in music – but will be the first time he is the main act.
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why,” Lamar said in a statement. “They got the right one.”
The Super Bowl will be held on 9 February in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Kendrick Lamar really got Drake with this one 👀 pic.twitter.com/6PpYeRFxzJ
— DailyRapFacts (@DailyRapFacts) September 8, 2024
Lamar performed alongside Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J Blige at the 2022 Super Bowl show.
The show earned an Emmy Award for the category Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
The Compton-born rapper, 37, is known for being one of the most inventive lyricists in the hip-hop genre. In 2018, he became the first hip-hop artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for music.
“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,” said NFL’s Head of Music Seth Dudowsky in a statement.
Lamar made headlines this year for a public feud with Canadian rapper Drake, with the two stars releasing a series of diss tracks earlier this year.
Two of the tracks with contributions from Lamar became major hits, including Future and Metro Boomin’s Like That and Lamar’s own Not Like Us.
Artists like Rihanna, Usher, Beyonce, the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen are among the other major artists to have performed at the sports event.
The Super Bowl is the biggest sports event in the US, drawing tens of millions of viewers, as well as being broadcast around the world.
By BBC News
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