If Kendrick Lamar Shouldn’t Headline The Superbowl LIX Halftime Show, Then Who Should?

A look at the controversial pick and the alternatives that the show should consider moving forward

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Photo by Riley McCullough on Unsplash

Like most decisions he’s made in 2024, Kendrick Lamar’s acceptance to perform for the 2025 Superbowl Halftime Show was met with mayhem. The controversial pick from Roc Nation head Jay-Z caused fans, the music industry, and artists to intensely share their opinions about the hot-button pick. 

In one corner, we had the honor-bound defenders of Lil Wayne, a New Orleans native and expected pick for the Superdome-hosted event. In the other corner, we saw hard-line supporters of Kendrick Lamar, seeing him as the natural choice for the massive stage.

Of course, this decision and the subsequent uproar continue a larger battle between Kendrick Lamar and his arch-rival Drake. The notorious rap beef has been going on for over a decade (as I outline here) and shows no signs of slowing down. 

When Nicki Minaj and Birdman expressed their disdain for having Kendrick perform, it represented a much larger war between Young Money Records and Roc Nations, another longstanding battle lasting over ten years. While the Superbowl is always a must-see, this year is bound to be an electrifyingly special one.

While I can’t wait to see Kendrick rise to the occasion on stage, I also want to see more from Roc Nation when selecting the Halftime show performer. Kendrick is a highly talented artist with momentum from his successful hit single “Not Like Us” and dozens of viral moments over the past ten months. However, Roc Nation seems to be restricting themselves to acts whose greatest hits were in the 2010s and who are close friends with Roc Nation president Jay-Z. 

Besides Rihanna (who also had pre-2010 but sang some post-2010 hits during her halftime show performance), the last 4/5 have felt dated despite the diverse pool of artists selected. In short, since Roc Nation’s tenure as the NFL’s Live Music Entertainment Strategists, they have focused on the past when selecting artists instead of aiming toward the future.

Many outstanding young artists today have the fanbase size, hits, and modern relevancy to shine on the Super Bowl Halftime Show stage. Below, I’ve selected ten artists who should all eventually perform at the halftime show. For each artist, I have made the case as to why they should be chosen to perform and shared a standout live performance video from their careers.