Rapper Kendrick Lamar is gearing up to give one of his biggest career performances at the 2025 Super Bowl.
The 37-year-old rapper has been tapped to headline this year’s NFL championship halftime show, where he will be joined by his longtime collaborator and R&B star SZA. And while many might (understandably) assume Lamar would be getting a hefty paycheck for his service, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, Lamar will receive no compensation for his concert.
Though that may come as a surprise to some, the truth is that Super Bowl halftime show performers typically don’t get paid. Instead, the NFL covers all the expenses associated with putting on the show, including travel costs.
In a statement to The Independent, a representative for the NFL confirmed that the football league “covers all costs associated with the show and does pay the halftime performers’ union scale” for Lamar’s crew.
It’s expected that an artist’s performance, which is often viewed by more than 100 million fans worldwide, will serve as a huge advertisement for their music and other ventures.
For instance, Rihanna saw a massive surge in music sales and streams, as well as Fenty Beauty sales, following her 2023 Super Bowl halftime performance.
Immediately after her exceptional concert, the “Umbrella” pop star saw her Spotify streams increase by 640 percent. It’s estimated that within just 12 hours of her performance, she had racked up $88.3 million in media impact value, according to brand performance insight tool Launchmetrics.
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga saw her album and song sales increase by 1000 percent as a result of her 2017 performance. Jennifer Lopez additionally gained 2.3 million new Instagram followers after her 2020 Super Bowl halftime appearance with Shakira.
It’s also important to note that the production cost of the halftime show comes with a high price tag, with the NFL and Apple Music oftentimes putting down around $10 million to cover the cost of staffers involved in the production, as well as the elaborate sets and audio equipment.
In 2021, The Weeknd reportedly spent $7 million of his own money to put on the show, as did Dr. Dre the year before that.
This year’s Super Bowl LIX, taking place in New Orleans on February 9 at 6:30 p.m, will see the reigning champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, face off against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The two teams previously played against each other in 2023, with the Chiefs clinching the win 38-35.
