Kendrick Lamar tapped the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles to open for his Super Bowl halftime show concert at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 8.
Fine, fine, fine. Football is today’s main event, but the truth of the matter is that even non-NFL fans will be turning on the broadcast to watch the “Not Like Us” rapper in action, especially on the heels of this year’s Grammy Awards. In case you forgot, the 17-time Grammy-winner took home five of those golden gramophones for his hit summer diss track, including best music video, best rap performance, best rap song, song of the year, and record of the year.
“Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer,” Jay-Z said in a press release about the the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX halftime show, per Billboard. “Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”
This may be Lamar’s first time headlining the event, but he’s no stranger to this particular platform, having performed alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg during the halftime show in 2022. The NFL recently reposted his iconic performance of “M.A.A.D. CITY” and “Alright” on TikTok ahead of his big day, in case you want a refresher.
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So, what can we expect to see during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show? Here’s everything we know about the rapper’s setlist, special guests, and those Taylor Swift rumors.
SZA is the only guest performer that’s officially been announced.
On January 23, Lamar let the “Kill Bill” singer dump blue Gatorade over his head to announce her guest slot during the Super Bowl. This collab makes complete sense, as the pair will be kicking off their joint Grand National Tour in April.
Sadly, SZA wouldn’t say much about their plans for the halftime show during a recent Grammys press conference. “That’s King Kendrick’s performance, and that is all for him to divulge,” she told reporters, per People. “What I can say is he’s worked really hard on it, and I’m so honored to be a part of it.”
That doesn’t mean there won’t be surprise guests.
Rumors are flying about possible collaborators, with fans manifesting appearances by everyone from Lil’ Wayne to Doechii to Timothée Chalamet. Yes, you read that right. After Chalamet promoted the halftime show and interviewed Lamar for Apple Music, fans began speculating the star of A Complete Unknown might bring his guitar to Caesars Superdome. Honestly, this particular TikTok fan theory isn’t nearly as outlandish as you might think. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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So, what about those Taylor Swift rumors?
The Pulitzer-winning rapper‘s history with Taylor Swift goes back an entire decade. Lamar was first featured in Swift’s “Bad Blood” music video back in 2015, and was tapped for the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) rerecording in October 2023. That history would probably be enough to stoke halftime show rumors, considering Swift will already be attending the game to cheer on Travis Kelce. However, it gets better.
This past summer, Taylor Swift was dragged into the Kendrick Lamar—Drake feud that spawned the Grammy-winning hit “Not Like Us.” Back in April, Drake referenced Swift in multiple tracks aimed at Lamar, including one titled “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which basically accused Lamar of holding back his response amid the release of The Tortured Poets Department. At the time, some fans believed Lamar responded to Drake’s jabs by tapping Swift’s longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff to produce “6:16 in LA.”
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Everything came full circle when Swift went viral for dancing to “Not Like Us” when Lamar won Record of the Year at the Grammys earlier this month. Now, fans are hoping to see Lamar perform his verse from “Bad Blood” at some point during his performance, if not bring Swift out for a cameo.
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Frankly, a surprise performance from Swift seems unlikely but you never know! Still, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes seemed to shut down those rumors during a recent press conference, saying, “As long as Trav’s playing and we’re in the Super Bowl, it’s going to be hard for her to do the halftime show.”
Read moreTaylor Swift’s Pre-Super Bowl Date Look May Send a Message About Those Halftime Theories
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce met up with Patrick and Brittany Mahomes for dinner in New Orleans on February 7.
What will be on the setlist?
It seems like a safe bet that Lamar will perform “Not Like Us,” though he has not released his setlist. And with SZA set to take the stage, you can probably expect them to perform “Luther” and/or “Gloria” from his 2024 album GNX, or even “30 for 30” from SZA’s 2024 album Lana.
How can you watch the Super Bowl halftime show?
You can start watching pre-game coverage of the Super Bowl on Fox at 1 pm EST, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 pm EST. The game will also be available to stream on Tubi and Fubo. The halftime show takes place between the second and third quarter, likely starting around 8 pm EST.
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