Kendrick Lamar's staggering Super Bowl halftime show performance fee revealed

Kendrick Lamar is set to deliver a monumental performance at the 2025 Super Bowl. The 37 year old hip-hop maestro has been selected as the main act for this year's NFL championship halftime show, where he'll be accompanied by R&B sensation and frequent collaborator SZA. Contrary to what many might think, Lamar won't be pocketing a large sum for his appearance. In reality, he won't receive any payment for his performance. While this may raise eyebrows, it's actually standard practice for Super Bowl halftime performers not to be paid. Instead, the NFL takes care of all the costs involved in staging the show, including travel expenses.

An NFL representative clarified to The Independent that the league "covers all costs associated with the show and does pay the halftime performers’ union scale" for Lamar’s team. The expectation is that the exposure from the performance, which typically reaches over 100 million viewers globally, acts as an immense promotional boost for the artist's music and other projects. Following her sensational 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, Rihanna witnessed an impressive boost across her music and Fenty Beauty brand sales. Straight after the live spectacle, the "Umbrella" singer's tunes saw a whopping 640 percent spike on Spotify.

Launchmetrics' brand performance insight tool estimates that in the first 12 hours post-performance, the Barbadian star chalked up a media impact value of $88.3 million. Lady Gaga, reflecting on her own experience, enjoyed a staggering 1000 percent increase in her album and song sales due to her exhilarating 2017 gig. Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez pocketed 2.3 million new Instagram devotees following her 2020 performance alongside Shakira.

It's crucial to remember the extravagant sums shelled out for these halftime extravaganzas; the NFL and Apple Music usually throw in around $10 million to cover production staff, as well as the lavish sets and high-grade audio equipment. Notably, The Weeknd in 2021 and Dr. Dre previously splurged $7 million each from their own coffers to elevate their shows. The upcoming Super Bowl LIX, heading to New Orleans on February 9 at 6:30 p. m, will set the stage for a thrilling face-off between the current titans, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Casting minds back to their last encounter in 2023, it was the Chiefs who emerged victorious with a nail-biting 38-35 win. Kendrick received a major win at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night beatING out Beyonce and the Beatles among other music stars for Record of The Year, winning for his explosive hip-hop anthem Not Like Us. Kendrick winning for his insulting track about Drake seems to further cement who the winner of their rap beef actually is. Many were in support of Kendrick's win on X, formerly Twitter, believing it is proof of who came out victorious in the vicious diss track battle between the two rap superstars that happened last year.