LOS ANGELES -
Kendrick Lamar will pop out on the NFL's biggest stage next year: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.
The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Lamar would lead the halftime festivities from the Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9. The rap megastar, who has won 17 Grammys, said he鈥檚 looking forward to bringing hip-hop to the NFL's championship game, where he performed as a guest artist with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem in 2022.
鈥淩ap music is still the most impactful genre to date," Lamar said in a statement. "And I鈥檒l be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.鈥
Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album 鈥済ood kid, m.A.A.d city鈥 in 2012. Since then, he's accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album 鈥淒AMN.鈥
The rapper's latest album 鈥淢r. Morale & The Big Steppers,鈥 was released in 2022. He was featured on the song 鈥淟ike That鈥 with Future and Metro Boomin on a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year. He also scored another hit with 鈥淣ot Like Us."
In 2016, Lamar gave a stunning seven-minute performance of tracks such as 鈥淭he Blacker the Berry鈥 and 鈥淎lright" at the 58th Grammy Awards. Lamar dazzled as an opener two years later at the Grammys with a performance of 鈥淴XX.鈥
In June, Lamar turned his Juneteenth 鈥淧op Out鈥 concert into a celebration of Los Angeles unity. It came on the heels of his rap battle with Drake during the three-hour concert featuring a mix of p-and-coming LA rappers and stars including Tyler, The Creator, Steve Lacy and YG.
Roc Nation founder Jay-Z called Lamar a 鈥渙nce-in-a-generation鈥 artist and performer.
鈥淗is deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision,鈥 Jay-Z said. 鈥淗e has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick鈥檚 work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.鈥
Roc Nation and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show. The creative direction of Lamar's performance will be provided by pgLang, a creative company founded by Lamar and Dave Free 鈥 who has previously directed the rapper's music videos.
"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,鈥 said Seth Dudowsky, the head of music at the NFL.
Last year, Usher shined with a star-studded show with guests including H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, Ludacris and Alicia Keys.