Jason Whitlock has blasted Kendrick Lamar as the ‘worst Super Bowl halftime choice in history’ after the rapper announced he will be headlining next year’s event.
Lamar is set to perform at this season’s NFL showpiece in New Orleans, LA, where two teams will battle it out on the biggest stage in football on February 9.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning musician, who gets 68.2M monthly listeners on Spotify, previously performed at the Halftime Show headlined by Dr. Dre in 2022 – which also featured other legendary names in Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige.
Though despite his previous Super Bowl appearance and successful rap career, Whitlock is not convinced Kendrick will appeal to the large majority of an NFL audience.
The conservative commentator wrote on X: ’80 percent of the Super Bowl audience will be totally unfamiliar with Kendrick Lamar. He doesn’t have a library of crossover mainstream hits.’
Jason Whitlock has blasted Kendrick Lamar as the ‘worst Super Bowl halftime choice in history’
Whitlock continued by accusing Kendrick of writing an offensive song about a fellow rapper, believed to be Drake, saying: ‘“Not Like Us” is a divisive song calling another artist a pedophile.
‘Worst Super Bowl halftime choice in history.’
In the clip announcing himself as this season’s Super Bowl act, Lamar manned a football passing machine on the field in front of a massive American flag. Â
‘My name is Kendrick Lamar and I’ll be performing at Super Bowl LIX,’ the 37-year-old said.
‘Will you be pulling up? I hope so. You know there’s only one opportunity to win a championship. No round twos. Let’s get it, boom! I wouldn’t want you to miss it. Meet me in New Orleans [on] February 9, 2025.Â
‘Wear your best dressed too, even if you’re watching from home. Let’s go, yeee! It’s what I’m talking about, man. Now we can get to it for real.’
Lamar announced that he will headline this season’s NFL showpiece in New Orleans, LA
The rapper (second from left) previously performed at the 2022 Halftime Show alongside Eminem, Dr Dre, Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg (left to right)
In last season’s Super Bowl, R&B icon Usher was the headline act alongside Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., will.i.am, Lil Jon and Ludacris in a show watched by 129.3M viewers.Â
Rihanna unveiled her second pregnancy while headlining Super Bowl LVII the year before, which amassed 121M viewers.Â
Despite Whitlock’s criticism of him as a halftime choice, Jay-Z – whose Roc Nation promotion puts on the show along with Apple Music – has branded Kendrick a ‘once-in-a-generation’ act.Â
‘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.’
