Super Bowl 59 halftime headliner Kendrick Lamar enjoyed a banner year in 2024, earning one of the biggest honors in pro sports as he takes center stage in Atlanta. The 2025 Super Bowl halftime show is reserved for the biggest stars in the world, and Lamar joined that exclusive club years ago, but historically elevated himself last year.

Here are the facts you need to know about Kendrick Lamar.

Why is Kendrick Lamar Famous?

Lamar is one of hip-hop’s most influential rappers, known for hit songs such as “Alright,” “HUMBLE.,” and “Not Like Us.” As a child, he enjoyed writing stories, and later, under the name K-Dot, he began rapping and putting music to lyrics about the harsh realities of the Compton streets where he grew up.

In 2018, Lamar made history as the first non-classical or jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his album DAMN. Throughout his career, he has earned 17 Grammy Awards, including three for Best Rap Album.

Lamar’s music frequently addresses pressing social issues such as gun violence, racial discrimination, and mass incarceration. His albums *good kid, m.A.A.d City* (2012) and *To Pimp a Butterfly* (2015) received widespread critical acclaim. Due to his impact on music and culture, he has been regarded as both the voice of Black America and a rap icon.

Where is Kendrick Lamar from?

Lamar is from Compton, California.

How much did Kendrick Lamar get paid for the Super Bowl?

Lamar won’t receive payment for his performance during the Super Bowl halftime show, but this is the case for all artists.

The NFL covers travel costs for the performers and allocates a budget for the overall production, but individual performers do not earn money for their halftime appearances.

Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl setlist

Lamar has not disclosed a setlist for his Super Bowl halftime show, and it seems he doesn’t intend to do so.

However, there are several songs that are likely to feature in his upcoming performance. “Not Like Us,” his biggest track stemming from his rap feud with Drake, is almost certain to be included.

Additionally, tracks like “squabble up” and “tv off” from his latest album, “GNX,” are strong possibilities. Songs that Lamar often performs on tour, such as “HUMBLE.” from his fourth studio album, “DAMN.,” and “Alright” from his third album, “To Pimp a Butterfly,” are also likely candidates for his Super Bowl performance in New Orleans.

Moreover, with SZA set to appear as a special guest, they will likely perform one of their seven collaborations together. The most probable choices include “All the Stars” from the “Black Panther” soundtrack, “Luther” or “Gloria” from “GNX,” or “30 for 30” from SZA’s recent project, “Lana.”

How tall is Kendrick Lamar?

In his 2022 track “Savior,” Lamar mentions that he is 5-foot-5. He raps, “I’ma stand on it, 6’5″ from 5’5.”

In this line, Lamar expresses that he remains firm in his convictions instead of “back pedaling” when faced with challenges. This resolve, he suggests, gives him a sense of stature that makes him feel as tall as 6-foot-5 despite his actual height.

How old is Kendrick Lamar?

Lamar is 37 years old and will turn 38 on June 17.

Why do people call Kendrick Lamar “K.Dot”?

“K.Dot” was the first stage name that Lamar used while he was rapping in high school. He later decided to move away from this name to use his first and middle names, as he believed that his original alias separated him from his true identity, as noted by “XXL Magazine.”

In some of his recent music, Lamar still sometimes refers to himself as “K.Dot” or simply “Dot.”

Is Kendrick Lamar married?

Lamar and his partner Whitney Alford, are a very private couple, so their marital status is not currently clear.

What is known is that he and Alford were high school sweethearts and have been engaged since 2015, which he confirmed in an interview on “The Breakfast Club” radio show on Power 105.1.

How many Grammys did Kendrick Lamar win?

Lamar received seven Grammy Award nominations this year: five for his popular track “Not Like Us” and two for “Like That,” his collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin. “Not Like Us” triumphed in all five categories it was nominated for: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Music Video.

Before this year’s ceremony, Lamar had been nominated for a total of 57 Grammy Awards and had won 17. At the 2023 awards, he took home the Grammy for Best Rap Album for “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” along with two additional awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for “The Heart Part 5.”

How many streams does “Not Like Us” have?

“Not Like Us,” the hit single by Lamar released last May, broke records for the most single-day streams for a hip-hop song with 12.8 million streams and the highest weekly streams by a rapper, accumulating 81.2 million in just one week.

By mid-January, the track surpassed one billion streams on Spotify and, at the time of this writing, has reached 1.04 billion streams on the platform.

While Apple Music does not publicly disclose song statistics, “Not Like Us” claimed the top spot on their Global list of the best songs for 2024.

On YouTube, the official audio video for the song has garnered almost 200 million views, while the music video itself has achieved 216 million streams. The “Not Like Us” track on YouTube Music, the music streaming service operated by Google/Alphabet, boasts 658 million plays.

How many albums has Kendrick Lamar sold?

Tracking album sales has become increasingly challenging in the era of streaming and “album-equivalent units.”

As noted in a Vanity Fair profile of Kendrick Lamar from June 2018, he had sold over 17.8 million albums up to that point. Since then, he has released two albums: “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” and “GNX.”

Music magazine “Hits” reported that “Mr. Morale” accounted for 1.06 million album-equivalent units by the end of 2022. “GNX,” released in late November, achieved 319,000 album-equivalent units in its first week and surpassed 500,000 shortly thereafter.

Based on this information, Lamar’s total album and album-equivalent unit sales are estimated to be around 20 million in his career.