Which Surprise Artists Will Join Kendrick Lamar During Super Bowl 59 Halftime Show?

Kendrick Lamar is set to take over the biggest stage on the planet when he headlines the Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans. With his 2025 Grand National Tour set to kick off on April 19 in Minneapolis, Lamar is enjoying arguably the greatest year for a hip-hop artist in the history of the genre.

The Compton rapper owned the 2025 Grammy Awards, where he took home five trophies for his diss track “Not Like Us.” The hit song — a direct response to a burgeoning feud with Drake — swept all five of its nominations at the 67th annual Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video.

Lamar will likely perform that song and many other hits alongside special guest SZA at Super Bowl 59, which will surely be one of the most memorable halftime shows in years.

What Surprise Guests Might Join Kendrick Lamar on Stage?

Everyone wants to know if Lamar might be plotting to bring any surprise guests to accompany him on the Super Bowl stage. SZA is essentially the co-headliner, so let’s not count her in, as she is joining Lamar on tour this spring.

One obvious guess would be Dr. Dre since the legendary rapper and producer has been Lamar’s longtime mentor. Dr. Dre signed Lamar to his Aftermath Records in 2012 and helped “open the door for him” when he started.

Remember, Lamar appeared at the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show as part of a star-studded performance that included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, and Anderson Paak.

Speculation also centered around a nostalgic ode to New Orleans rap since The Big Easy is the host city.

Lil Wayne says he and Kendrick Lamar have talked, and he told him “he better kill it” at the Super Bowl halftime show pic.twitter.com/dbe49ax2LL

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) December 17, 2024

Lil Wayne would be the leading name to watch. Born in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, the 42-year-old rap legend expressed disappointment about not being picked to perform in his hometown. According to the halftime show producers, Lil Wayne was considered.

Other rappers and rap groups with ties to New Orleans include Juvenile, Birdman, Master P, Mystikal, Big Tymers, Jay Electronica, Big Freedia, C-Murder, TRU, B.G., Turk, Mack Maine, Mannie Fresh, Magnolia Shorty, and Curren$y.

Lamar’s old Black Hippy Crew — featuring Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and ScHoolboy Q — would be good bets to show up, too. The one-time supergroup recently took the stage together for a one-night-only performance.

Some sportsbooks have released odds on Lamar’s halftime show guests. Here are the current odds on UK’s Star Sports:

Can We Rule Out Taylor Swift Appearing on Stage?

The odds of Taylor Swift appearing on stage at halftime are long (+750). Don’t rule it out. Lamar lent his vocals to a remix of Swift’s hit song “Bad Blood” in 2014. She was also seen bopping her head and singing along to Lamar’s “Not Like Us” at the 2025 Grammy Awards.

However, it stands to reason that Swift would prefer to sit in the box and cheer for her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, as he goes for his fourth Super Bowl ring.

Taylor Swift dancing to Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” at the #Grammys 😭 pic.twitter.com/6j4iDR2dD7

— XXL Magazine (@XXL) February 3, 2025

How about Meek Mill? The Philadelphia rapper is good friends and business partners with Jay-Z — his Roc Nation label is producing the halftime show — and a huge Eagles fan. The problem is that Lamar and Meek Mill have had a long-standing beef that may or may not be squashed.

Tyler, the Creator, is one rapper who could’ve made an appearance but has already confirmed he will not be in attendance. A performer at Lamar’s “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends” concert on June 19, 2024, in Inglewood, California, Lamar and Tyler were born and raised in Los Angeles. While the “Chromakopia” artist would be an incredible guest for the show, he’s pre-booked with tour dates for his newest album.

Then, there is Drake’s status. The driving force behind the diss track “Not Like Us” has been quiet in recent months, perhaps too embarrassed to cope with Lamar’s shooting stardom. Bringing Drake out for the Super Bowl Halftime Show would be totally unexpected and out of control—the perfect way to end the biggest feud in hip-hop right now.

Chiefs vs. Eagles Super Bowl Preview

Based on PFN’s win probability model, which ran 10,000 simulations via the PFN Playoff Predictor, the Eagles have a 52.8% chance of defeating the Chiefs.

The Chiefs are aiming to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. Kansas City has won three of the last five Super Bowls and will be the first NFL team to play in five Super Bowls over a six-season span.

This is Philadelphia’s third Super Bowl appearance in the last eight seasons. The Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII and lost to the Chiefs two seasons ago in Super Bowl LVII.

Kansas City Chiefs Trends and Insights

• The Chiefs have 17 straight one-score wins (12-0 this season, their last three playoff games last year, and their last two regular season games). Twelve one-score wins is the most in a single season all-time, tied with the 2022 Vikings, 2019 Seahawks, and 2015 Broncos.
• Patrick Mahomes passed Joe Montana for the second-most playoff wins by a starting quarterback (17) and John Elway for the second-most playoff game-winning drives by a quarterback (seven).
• From 2019-24, the Chiefs have made six Super Bowl appearances, are chasing a fourth title, and have won 78% of their regular season games. For reference, the Splash Brother Golden State Warriors (2015-19, 2022) made six NBA Finals appearances with four titles and won 76.2% of their regular season games.
• The Chiefs have averaged over 2.5 points per offensive drive in four straight games when playing their regulars – that’s a good formula, as NFL teams have won 78.9% of their games this season when clearing 2.50 PPD.
• During his career, Mahomes has averaged 3.9 carries for 20 yards and 0.13 touchdowns on the ground during the regular season. In the postseason, those rates elevated to 5.4 attempts, 29.1 yards, and 0.35 touchdowns per game.

Philadelphia Eagles Trends and Insights

• The Eagles peaked early last season and scored 155 points over a five-game win streak (Weeks 7-12). Over their past five games, they’ve scored 166 points.
• Jalen Hurts ran for three scores in his prior Super Bowl experience, joining Terrell Davis as the only player to do that in The Big Game. With his three rushing scores on Sunday, Hurts joined LeGarrette Blount as the only players in NFL history with multiple playoff games in which they ran for three-plus touchdowns.
• Philadelphia has forced 19 turnovers in their past six games, a run that includes four games with three-plus.
• The Eagles became the sixth team to have multiple players rush for multiple scores in a playoff game, the first since Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel did it for the 2018 Patriots.
• Since 2022, the Eagles are 18-8 ATS (69.2%) when facing a team that enters play with at least as many wins as losses (second best, trailing only the 20-6-1 Lions).
• Hurts will become the eighth quarterback to start multiple Super Bowls within his first eight seasons. Of the previous seven, only Elway failed to secure a ring within his first five seasons—though Elway would famously cap off his career with Super Bowl victories in his final two seasons.