What to know:
- Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show is expected to feature additional artists, and people are betting real money on who will be the rap star’s guests.
- On the prediction market platform Kalshi, SZA is the favorite (73%) to join Lamar on stage, likely due to their recent collaborations and a joint tour.
- Performing in New Orleans, Lamar faces added expectations to include hometown legend Lil Wayne.
The Super Bowl LIX is next month and that means we will be getting another halftime show. This year’s performer will be the highly-anticipated Kendrick Lamar.
After a huge 2024 featuring a beef with Drake, chart-topping songs, and a No. 1 album, Lamar is ready to give us a show we are sure to never forget — and this year, you can bet on which guests will actually join Lamar on stage.
In fact, the prediction market Kalshi already has a market on who will be part of Lamar’s set. The market’s trading volume is over $15,000 as of right now. Usher’s half-time show last year featured guests like Alicia Keys, H.E.R., will.i.am, Lil Jon, and Ludacris.
But who will Lamar bring to his performance
SZA
SZA currently has the highest chance to join Lamar at 73%. This isn’t too surprising considering they have released three songs together in the last couple of months.
Two songs were on Lamar’s album GNX and another on SZA’s deluxe album SOS Deluxe: Lana. Off Lamar’s album, luther debuted at the No. 3 spot on the Hot 100 chart. The song was released on Nov. 22, 2024, and has over 200 million listens on Spotify. In addition, the album features another song with SZA, gloria.
For SZA’s album, she released 30 For 30 featuring Lamar, which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot R&B Songs chart. But these were not their first collaborations. They have many, including All The Stars from the Black Panther soundtrack, which has an impressive 1.9 billion listens on Spotify.
The last sign that points to them performing together at the Super Bowl is they are touring together this year – the Grand National Tour. With so many collaborations and a joint tour, SZA will likely make an appearance at the Super Bowl.
Future & Metro Boomin
Lamar is currently close to the top of the Hot 100 thanks to collaborations with SZA, but Future & Metro Boomin helped him get to the summit last year. According to Kalshi, Future’s chances are 25% and Metro’s is 20%.
Their collaboration Like That was featured on Future and Metro’s We Don’t Trust You album. The song currently has over 600 million listens on YouTube and was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last year for three weeks.
The song was the fuse that relaunched Drake and Lamar’s notorious back-and-forth diss track battle. That is exactly what led him to release his other No. 1 song, Not Like Us, last year. The diss track was No. 1 for two weeks.
Like That was Lamar’s most popular song in 2024 and it would be odd to not feature the song in the show. Naturally, it would make sense to have Future & Metro join him in New Orleans.
Lil Wayne
When Lamar was announced as this year’s Super Bowl performer, there was quite a bit of backlash. The game will be held in New Orleans, which is Lil Wayne’s hometown.
Many celebrities and industry experts expected Wayne to be the headliner. If asked, the rapper said he would be interested in headlining the show. When Lamar was announced, several celebrities were outspoken in their shock.
Rapper Nikki Minaj criticized the decision and felt Wayne was the better choice for the New Orleans show. Legendary rapper Master P posted on Instagram this caption:
Salute to @kendricklamar for performing at the halftime show at Super Bowl LIX.. well deserved, he’s one of the hottest music artists in the world and has one of the biggest songs right now. As Ambassador of Entertainment in the City of New Orleans I have to agree with the fans that @liltunechi #LilWayne should be a part of this celebration as well. He’s one of the greatest Hop Hop artists alive, still relevant and he’s a New Orleans native. Let’s not miss this cultural moment in the South. Life is too short! We have to give our legends their flowers while they are here.
While none deny Lamar’s talent and ability to host the halftime show, they seemingly felt Wayne was a better fit for the location. Regardless, this controversy may likely lead to Lamar including Wayne in his show as a sign of respect for the city and the rapper himself.
It would be easy given they already have a collaboration they can perform called Mona Lisa, which reached the No. 2 spot on the Hot 100. Currently, traders give Wayne a 21% chance of appearing.
Jay Rock
Lamar used to be signed to the independent record label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). Other notable artists on their roster are SZA, newly Grammy-nominated Doechii, and Jay Rock.
Besides bringing on fellow TDE member SZA, Lamar may bring out Jay Rock too. His current forecasted chance is 25%.
Lamar and Rock have several songs together including Rock’s King’s Dead, which featured Future and James Blake.
However, the biggest reason Lamar will bring out Rock is because one of his best songs features the rapper. Money Trees features Rock and is frequently named one of Lamar’s best songs of all time.
Back in 2021, The Rolling Stones named this his No. 1 song and called it “a benchmark for Lamar as a songwriter, finds him at his sharpest…the best execution of his career.”
Many of his fans love this song and he will likely feature it in his 12-to-15-minute halftime set.
Baby Keem
With family is a frequent theme in Lamar’s music, it wouldn’t be too surprising if he brings out his cousin, Baby Keem.
The two cousins may perform their hit song, Family Ties. The song was on the Hot 100 and won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance. The music video features singer Normani and won the 2022 BET Award for Video of the Year. The song has more than 900 million listens on Spotify.
They have another collaboration called The Hillbillies. The song wasn’t nearly as big, with fewer than 100 million listens on Spotify, but it could be a fun addition to the set.
While there’s much more rap royalty Lamar has collaborated with, the reality is he can’t feature them all in a set that typically lasts between 12-15 minutes.
Lamar’s discography is enormous, with over 85 entries on the Hot 100 and 22 Top 10 Hits, so there are plenty of songs to choose from, giving us plenty of possibilities for the Super Bowl halftime show. He will likely choose the ones that he knows are most important to his fans and himself.
Regardless of who he decides to feature, keep a close eye on the prediction markets – odds/prices are fluid and can change in an instant. By getting in on the action, prediction markets make the journey to halftime as thrilling as the performance itself.