Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl deal has fans shocked

Kendrick Lamar performed at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show without being paid. 

Lamar who had recently won five Grammys for his song Not Like Us, expressed his excitement stating, "Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one," after being announced as a Super Bowl Performer. 

However, despite being one of the most watched TV broadcasts annually artists have traditionally not been paid for their performances, with the NFL covering only the production costs and travel expenses. 

An NFL spokesperson confirmed to Forbes in 2016, "We do not pay the artists. We cover expenses and production costs."

In exchange, The Super Bowl halftime show promises significant exposure, leading to spikes in album sales and streaming numbers post performances.

As seen after the 2020 halftime show, Newsweek reported a 230% increase in streams for Shakira and a 335% increase for Jennifer Lopez.

Similarly, Bruno Mars’ album sales for Unorthodox Jukebox jumped by 92%, propelling him from no. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 to no. 3, detailed Forbes.

As for Lamar, the scale of his success is yet to be seen especially with the announcement of his Grand National tour with SZA coming up next in 2025.