It’s official. Kendrick Lamar will headline the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans. However, the announcement has ruffled the feathers of some fans and rappers who believe the rightful choice should have been Lil Wayne considering he’s from the Big Easy. Despite the opposition, it’s clear the correct choice was made.
Why Kendrick Lamar Is the Right Choice for Super Bowl LIX
Kendrick Lamar, like Lil Wayne, has had a legendary rap career. Despite not dropping an album this year, Dot’s 2024 run will go down in history. His rap battle with Drake was the biggest moment of the year in hip-hop and resulted in two No. 1 songs for the Compton, Calif. rapper; “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin, and the Drake diss “Not Like Us.” K-Dot’s The Pop Out concert in June was another epic moment for rap. Basically, all eyes have been on Kendrick for the better part of the year. And they will continue to be with rumors floating around that he is prepping a new album.
On the other hand, despite dropping a couple of well-received features, Lil Wayne has mostly been stagnant in 2024, rap-wise. Besides recently revealing that Tha Carter VI is complete, there has been little buzz on the music front.
Also, Kendrick Lamar is universally a safer choice. As evidenced most recently in his massive record-breaking The Big Steppers Tour in 2023, Kendrick excels in the live performance space. And his catalog has more universal appeal to a Super Bowl-watching audience.
Lil Wayne has a prolific catalog. However, he doesn’t have the most stellar track record when it comes to live performances. He has a history of his concerts going left as well as behind-the-scenes horror stories.
Art director Shaun Harrison recently spoke up about his bad experience working with Wayne on a Grammy performance and said putting Wayne as the headliner for the Super Bowl would be the “biggest mistake ever.”
Others have cited Lil Wayne’s lyrics, which include more lines about drug use and hardcore content, being a reason to choose Kendrick over Tunechi. Then, there’s the fact that Lil Wayne himself has admitted on multiple occasions that he can’t remember the lyrics to his songs.
Could Wayne pull it all together for a live set on the world’s biggest stage? Sure. But is Kendrick a safer bet? Absolutely. This is the Super Bowl. Billions of dollars are involved. And companies tend to like to go with the sure thing.
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Location Doesn’t Matter
It seems like most of the heartache over Wayne not headlining the Big Game is because it is taking place in the N.O. However, the notion that Lil Wayne should automatically get the nod because he is a New Orleans native would be more precedent-setting than something that has actually happened in the past. Other than Dr. Dre’s Super Bowl performance in Los Angeles in 2022, no previous performers have hailed from the city where the big game is being held.
There’s no doubt, the sentimental choice would be Lil Wayne, but the right choice for the 2025 Super Bowl is K-Dot.
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See 50 Surprising Facts About Kendrick Lamar
K-Dot fans, this one’s for you.