Super Bowl
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Kendrick Lamar is heading to the Super Bowl — and fans certainly have something to say about it.
On Sunday (Sept. 8), the superstar Compton rapper was announced as the headliner for the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, set for Feb. 9, 2025 in New Orleans. This marks the second time K. Dot will grace the stage at the NFL’s main event, after he was a special guest alongside Dr. Dre’s West Coast hip-hop showcase in 2022.
“You know there’s only one opportunity to win a championship,” Lamar says in a promotional clip on Instagram for his performance at the big game. “No round two’s.”
Naturally, fans lit up social media shortly after the announcement, with many commenting on Lamar’s high-profile rap beef with Drake and others expressing disappointment over New Orleans native Lil Wayne not being chosen to represent his hometown at the Super Bowl. Others shared their excitement over Lamar possibly bringing his anthemic Drizzy diss “Not Like Us” to millions of viewers around the world.
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“The Compton kid has completely cracked the code,” one fan commented under Kendrick’s Super Bowl announcement on Instagram. Another user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “HE IS ON TOP OF THE WORLD.” That sentiment was echoed in another X comment. “OMG!!!!!!!!! THIS IS KENDRICK LAMAR’S YEAR!!!!!!,” a fan wrote.
“I don’t usually watch the Super Bowl, but I’ll absolutely be watching for the Kendrick concert,” another added on X.
As expected, countless fans on social media also took the opportunity to bring Drake into the conversation, with dozens of onlookers referencing K. Dot’s back-and-forth diss tracks with the Toronto MC earlier this year. The beef culminated with Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which became a monster hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two nonconsecutive weeks in May.
“Love this! Can’t wait to hear not like us on the world stage. Drake finna cry in the corner,” someone commented on the NFL’s X account, while another added that the 6 God’s fans are “in shambles” following the news. “They just gave bro the opportunity to diss tf outta drake on super bowl,” a user wrote on Lamar’s Instagram page. “drake drops 100 gigs of throwaway bs. kendrick drops a SUPER BOWL ANNOUNCEMENT,” another wrote on X, referencing Drake’s recent drop of content.
Some also speculated the possibility of Kendrick squashing his beef with Drake by inviting him onstage during the halftime show. “Special guest, drake?” an X fan questioned. Another person on Lamar’s Instagram joked, “Scenes when he brings out drake and they squash the beef and make out with each other.”
Lil Wayne’s name became a trending topic on X following K. Dot’s Super Bowl Halftime Show announcement, as numerous Weezy fans found it disrespectful to overlook the veteran rapper, who hails from the Louisiana city.
“Not having Lil Wayne headline is a slap to the face,” a person commented under Lamar’s announcement on Instagram. “Lil Wayne def should’ve been picked to perform at the superbowl. He’s literally from New Orleans and a rap legend…,” another wrote on X. Another Instagram commenter suggested that inviting Wayne onstage as a special guest would be “next level.”
Other social media comments ranged from which other special guests Lamar might invite to join him on stage — including the possibility of Eminem and Beyonce — while others hope that K. Dot’s Super Bowl gig will also bring an announcement of a new album. Lamar’s last studio release, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in May 2022.
The Super Bowl Halftime Show will be shown live on Fox from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 9. It will also be the sixth year that the show will be programmed by Roc Nation, which is executive producing the show alongside Jesse Collins, produced by DPS and directed by Hamish Hamilton. Creative direction for Lamar’s performance will be provided by pgLang, the creative imprint co-founded by the rapper.
Kendrick Lamar will headline the 2025 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, set to take place Feb. 9, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The set will be the second time the hip-hop superstar will grace the stage at the NFL’s main event, after he was a special guest alongside Dr. Dre’s West Coast hip-hop showcase in 2022. But this will be the first time he headlines the big show, and just the second time a rapper is the main event. Lamar nodded to that in a statement announcing the news.
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” he said. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”
Creative direction for Lamar’s performance will be provided by pgLang, the creative imprint co-founded by the rapper.
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This has been a big year for Lamar, despite him not having released an album since May 2022’s Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. In the spring, he contributed a guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s Hot 100 No. 1 single “Like That,” which served as the springboard for a high-profile rap beef with Drake. That kicked off an extended back and forth, in which the two hip-hop titans traded diss tracks in what was the most engrossing back and forth in the genre in years, and ultimately culminated in Lamar’s anthemic “Not Like Us,” which not only served to end the beef but also became a monster hit, topping the Hot 100 for two nonconsecutive weeks and racking up 765 million on-demand U.S. streams since its May 4 release.
The Super Bowl Halftime Show will be shown live on Fox from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans that Sunday. It will also be the sixth year that the show will be programmed by Roc Nation, which is executive producing the show alongside Jesse Collins, produced by DPS and directed by Hamish Hamilton. Roc Nation partnered with the NFL in 2019 in a deal that saw the JAY-Z-led company take over entertainment programming and social justice initiatives on behalf of the league. That ultimately included Roc’s oversight of the Halftime Show, one of the highest-profile stages in world entertainment, beginning with the 2020 edition.
“Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer,” JAY-Z said in a statement. “His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision. He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”
Kendrick Lamar is set to be the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner.
Courtesy of pgLang
This is also the third year that Apple Music has served as the title sponsor for the event, having first taken over in 2023, when Rihanna headlined the show in Phoenix.
“The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show is a celebration of the music we love and the incredible artists who make it, all on the world’s biggest stage,” said Oliver Schusser, vp of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Sports and Beats, in a statement. “Apple is thrilled to bring this show, starring the absolutely incomparable Kendrick Lamar, to fans worldwide with Apple Music’s industry leading Spatial Audio quality along with tons of exclusive videos, interviews, playlists and so much more across Apple Music.”
Usher was the headliner this past year, in a career-spanning performance that also featured special guests Alicia Keys, H.E.R., will.i.am and Ludacris. His set included performances of megahits “My Boo,” “OMG” and “Yeah,” among many others. Prior to that, headliners included Rihanna (2023), Dr. Dre and friends (2022), The Weeknd (2021), and Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (2020).
“Few artists have impacted music and culture as profoundly as Kendrick Lamar,” said Seth Dudowsky, head of music for the NFL, in a statement. “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. We’re excited to collaborate with Kendrick, Roc Nation, and Apple Music to deliver another unforgettable Halftime Show.”
The first full weekend of the new NFL season kicks off today (Sept. 8), with the season running through January.
Tony Hale is no stranger to working alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest stars thanks to his work in projects like Veep, Arrested Development, Inside Out and more. However, it’s not every day you get to star alongside Beyoncé in a Super Bowl ad.
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The actor appeared in the iconic Verizon 2024 Super Bowl commercial that confirmed that Bey had Cowboy Carter up her sleeves. The minute-long ad finds comedian Hale challenging Bey to do something so big, it “breaks” Verizon’s 5G internet service. To do so, she does a ton of activities like running a lemonade stand for fans, playing the saxophone, introduces her own “Beyonc-AI” technology, parodies Barbie as “Bar-Bey” and announcing her candidacy for “Beyoncé of the United States” — but nothing worked.
Bey then decided that announcing new music is the only way. “OK, they ready,” she says from a rocket ship. “Drop the new music.”
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“They called me and they said, ‘Hey, do you want to be in a Super Bowl ad?’” Hale recalled of finding out about the gig with “the Queen” during a Monday night (July 22) interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “I was like, ‘Yeah,’ and they said, ‘It’s with a music artist.’ I was like, ‘Great.’ They were like, ‘Beyoncé,’ and I was like, ‘Sorry?’”
He continued, “I finally am doing something cool that my daughter thinks is cool, but I couldn’t tell her because I signed an NDA.”
However, he still found ways to tease the appearance for his daughter. “Actually, they did these teasers beforehand of me in front of a lemonade stand and she immediately got it and was like, ‘Dad?’ And I just texted back an emoji of a bee.”
Watch the full interview below.
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Taylor Swift was one of the most newsworthy parts of the 2024 Super Bowl — outside of the actual game, of course. But according to Travis Kelce, it cost quite a pretty penny for her and her friends to be there. In a clip from the new Netflix documentary Receiver, which premiered Wednesday (July 10), […]
Travis Kelce is about to pick up a new piece of bling, but it’s not an engagement ring for Taylor Swift… yet. In a clever teaser posted by the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday (June 13), the tight end holds up three of his fingers and points to one of his knuckles with a knowing […]
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There’s no denying that celebs love Converse. From red carpets to Coachella and even the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show — where Snoop Dogg rocked a pair of white low-tops with bright yellow laces to match his bandana-print tracksuit — there’s something special about the Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers.
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Aside from Snoop, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell, Rihanna, Dua Lipa, BTS, Selena Gomez, Harry Styles and Justin Bieber are on the short list of stars who have worn Chuck Taylors or have collaborated with the brand. Even Elvis Presley wore Chucks.
Converse originally introduced their signature basketball shoe in 1917. The design underwent an update in the ’20s after former basketball legend Chuck Taylor approached Converse to make the shoe more comfortable for basketball players. Taylor’s input gave us the iconic design we know today, which typically includes white stitching, a white toe cap and rubber sole.
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Chuck Taylors were the hottest shoes on the basketball court until around the 1970s when other shoe brands began introducing sneakers aimed at athletes. Today, Converse Chuck Taylors are beloved for their retro design. The brand has also released special-edition shoes celebrating artists like Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath and Blondie.
If you’ve searched for Converse online but never end up buying them, take this as a reminder to invest in a new pair! Because Chuck Taylors are so popular and now that it’s finally festival season, we’ve rounded up some styles to shop and alternative destinations to purchase the classic sneaker (besides the Converse website) in different color schemes.
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Urban Outfitters has a decent stock of Converse sneakers, and you can usually find at least one pair on sale. The orange, low-top Chucks featured above are discount to $40 in adult sizes ranging from men’s sizes 5-10 and 7-12 in women’s sizes. You can also find the shoe at Nordstrom.com ($60) in white or black.
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Ask Travis Kelce about his favorite music, and his face will light up. The outer corners of his eyes crinkle with excitement, and he talks with overflowing glee through a wide, toothy smile.
It’s the same expression that the lovable Chiefs tight end might wear after scoring an unbelievable touchdown at Arrowhead Stadium, or while joking about being the Yoko Ono to girlfriend Taylor Swift‘s John Lennon alongside his brother, retired Eagles center Jason Kelce, on their joint podcast, New Heights. It’s definitely the same passion with which he’s known for discussing his love for Kansas City, for whom the Ohio native secured a second Super Bowl win in a row this February.
Now, in his latest love letter to the city he currently calls home, Travis is bringing back Kelce Jam — a self-curated music festival he launched last year in honor of the Chiefs taking home the 2023 Lombardi Trophy. Following the inaugural event’s lineup of Machine Gun Kelly, Rick Ross and Loud Luxury, this year’s offering will feature headliners Lil Wayne, Diplo and 2 Chainz, plus performances from Irie and E-V, as announced by the athlete Tuesday (April 2).
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“I’m super excited for it,” a charged-up Travis tells Billboard the same day, rocking a baseball cap emblazoned with “L.A.,” the initials of his whereabouts at the time of our Zoom call. “We got Jim Beam as the big sponsor, and they’re bringing so many cool new things to it, like a drone show. They’ll be out there giving out free barbecue — you know how much Kansas City loves their barbecue.”
Slated for the evening of Saturday, May 18, at Azura Amphitheater, the 2024 Kelce Jam is also backed by Medium Rare, this year’s partner, as well as an array of other brands like Takis, which will livestream the festival globally across Travis’ socials. Fans can already register online for an event pre-sale starting Friday (April 5), with Travis advertising plainly and confidently on Instagram, “All tickets will sell out.”
Much like last year, the festival will serve as one last celebration of the Chiefs’ incredible season before Travis and his teammates, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, start the process over again in training camp this summer. Unlike 2023, however, this year’s Kelce Jam comes in the wake of a community tragedy, with the Feb. 14 Super Bowl parade ending in a deadly shooting that killed one person and injured 22 others.
The gravity of this isn’t lost on Travis, but neither is the real importance of coming together in the face of tragedy (or, as he likes to put it, fighting for his right to party). Below, he catches up with Billboard about his favorite artists, Chiefs Kingdom, playing the role of festival curator and more ahead of 2024’s Kelce Jam:
This year’s Kelce Jam is billed as featuring some of your own personal favorite artists. What was the process of curating the lineup like?
When it came to this year’s lineup, I wanted to keep it fresh, keep it new and keep everybody coming back for something. We got Lil Wayne – Tunechi — who’s been one of my favorites since I was in high school. 2 Chainz as well, another one that’s been one of my favorites since high school. And then Diplo, who I’ve gotten to know, and I’ve gotten to appreciate his music so much. One of my favorites in the game as well.
It’s just so much fun being able to bring this to Kansas City, because of how much Kansas City shows out for me and the Chiefs every single game day. To be able to bring this to them, a music and food fest, something where we can all celebrate and have a great time — I’m just so blessed and so fortunate to be able to do this. It’s gonna be exciting.
This year’s Super Bowl parade in Kansas City obviously ended in a deeply upsetting way. (After gunfire broke out at the celebration, which Travis attended on a float with his teammates, he tweeted that he was “heartbroken.”) How has that experience affected your approach to putting on an event like this?
The parade was very sad on our hearts, and our hands are still out to everybody involved in terms of what went down. It’s not easy to deal with stuff like that as a community.
Security is going to be something that I take seriously, so that everybody feels safe when they’re there. But also, I think it is another chance to be able to celebrate. Last year I was fortunate to be able to do this for the first time after we won the [2023] Super Bowl. It was kind of like my last hoo-rah, the last time I was going to celebrate that Super Bowl. I think this is going to be the last hoo-rah for me this year, celebrating the [2024] Super Bowl with the city of Kansas City because of how much I appreciate and love them.
If you ever host a third Kelce Jam, which artists would be your dream headliners?
Woo! I got a list of about a hundred people that I absolutely – music is one of my favorite things. On top of that, live music is something I never pass up on. The Chainsmokers are my brothers, I love those guys. Marshmello is one of my brothers. T-Pain is one of my favorite performers of all time. I’ve gotten to love guys like Morgan Wallen.
The list just goes on, and the genres vary everywhere. I’m a real music lover. I’m just fortunate we got the guys that we have this year, and I think it’s going to be a blast.
Do you plan to make Kelce Jam its own annual festival independent of your football career? Or do you plan on keeping it as a post-Super Bowl event that’s special to Kansas City?
That’s been in talks, to see where [Kelce Jam] fits and where we could go with it. I know one thing, and it’s that I love celebrating with Kansas City. I don’t know what the future holds or how much more fun we could have with it outside of KC, but it’s interesting, and I guess we’ll have to see where it takes us.
Will your Chiefs teammates be in attendance? How about the Kelce family?
I’ve got my fingers crossed that I can have the whole shebang, have all my teammates, even my coaches – Andy Reid, come on down baby, have some fun with us. Anybody that shows up, I’m just ultimately appreciative of.
It’s such a unique opportunity for me to be able to host an event like this – on May 18! I don’t know if I plugged that [date] yet. [Laughs.] Hopefully I can get everybody to sign up for this one, knowing how much fun last year’s was.
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Few people have had high-school experiences more impressive than the Jonesboro High School Majestic Marching Cardinals. At the top of 2024, the student marching band was featured in a commercial for Usher‘s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, and just a few weeks later, they were treated to a very special surprise visit from none other than first lady Jill Biden.
The first lady made a surprise virtual visit on Wednesday (March 27) to more than 150 students from Atlanta’s Jonesboro High School during an after-school rehearsal. As Dr. Biden appears on the screen, the students gasp in surprise. “I can’t wait until you come to the White House,” she told the students, before letting the kids know she’s still teaching.
The Majestic Marching Cardinals are set to play at this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll Monday (April 1), and Dr. Biden appeared via Zoom to thank the students for their hard work and dedication ahead of their performance.
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“After the call with the first lady, there was a hush over the band room and some students began to cry from all the excitement,” band director Lynel Goodwin tells Billboard. “We took a moment to reflect on how our musical journey and their talents led to an opportunity like this – to perform at the White House. This life-changing opportunity means the world to my students, band parents and our Jonesboro community.”
This year’s White House Easter Egg Roll theme continues the first lady’s commitment to “EGGucation,” a nod to her more than 30 years in the teaching profession. Dr. Biden is set to transform both the South Lawn and the Ellipse into a community full of educational activities, rolling and hunting Easter eggs, a reading nook, a picture day station and a physical “EGGucation” zone.
In addition, there will also be a band hall where the Majestic Marching Cardinals will grace the stage. Several other bands are also slated to perform at the event — which is expected to welcome more than 40,000 guests — including Phoenix’s Tolleson Elementary School District Marching Band, the Independence High School Marching Band from Brambleton, Va., and George Mason University Green Machine of Fairfax, Va.
To continue their momentum, the Majestic Marching Cardinals will also perform at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Under the direction of Goodwin, the Majestic Marching Cardinals have brought their special Atlanta flair to some of America’s grandest stages. Their momentum also lines up with that of student marching bands in general: In 2023, Tennessee State University’s Aristocrat of Bands made history as the first marching band to with the Grammy for best roots gospel album (The Urban Hymnal).
Watch a clip of first lady Jill Biden surprising the Majestic Marching Cardinals below.
Turns out, the way to Taylor Swift‘s heart is magic tricks. In an interview on The Pivot Podcast uploaded Tuesday (Feb. 27), Mecole Hardman opened up about how he won over the 34-year-old pop star after she started dating his Kansas City Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce, and revealed details about the moment she gave him a big hug after he caught the game-winning touchdown at the 2024 Super Bowl.
The 25-year-old wide receiver started by praising Kelce for pulling Swift. “It’s Trav, bro,” he told the show’s hosts, laughing. “If anybody’s gonna do that, it’s Trav who’s gonna get that right there.”
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“Trav is such a cool dude, and Taylor’s so cool,” he added. “She just vibes.”
Hardman went on to say that he first met the “Anti-Hero” singer at a “get-together” at Kelce’s house. At the party, he wowed Swift with an impressive card trick.
“Honestly when we leave, we’re like, ‘D–n, that’s Taylor Swift! Ay, that’s crazy,” he said of his fellow players.
Flash forward to the Feb. 11 Super Bowl at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. After the Chiefs went into overtime against the San Francisco 49ers, Hardman secured a Kansas City victory by catching quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ game-ending pass.
Immediately after the game wrapped, Swift joined the players on the field and kissed Kelce in front of NFL cameras. She also made sure to give Hardman a big hug.
“She was like, ‘Good job, proud of you, good game,’” he recalled of the moment. “Then she said something about, ‘You and these magic tricks.”
“Every time she sees me she talks about [the card trick],” No. 12 continued. “‘Your hands are magical,’ or something like that.’”
Hardman’s remarks came the same day Andy Reid revealed that Swift baked homemade pop-tarts for the Chiefs’ offensive line. “She didn’t give me one, and the offensive linemen definitely didn’t give me one,” the coach said in an interview, looking slightly miffed that he didn’t get to try one of the singer’s pastries.
“Since the queen has passed away, she might be the most famous woman in the world,” Big Red added of the star. “She’s so grounded for who she is. I think it’s a great escape for her, where she can come [to games]. She sincerely enjoys the games.”
For those who have been holding out hope that Usher will finally drop his “Believe” track that’s been swirling around online for years, good news awaits: Jermaine Dupri, one of the song’s writers, confirmed via X on Thursday (Feb. 22) that the song will finally arrive on Friday. Usher’s reps confirmed to Billboard that “Believe” […]