Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance: Here's why he won't be paid big bucks

While Kendrick Lamar takes the Super Bowl stage, he will not see significant earnings reflected in his bank account.

It was a groundbreaking moment when Kendrick Lamar hit the stage for the halftime show at Super Bowl 2025. Not only was it his second time performing at the event, but it also marked him as the first solo hip-hop artist to headline a Super Bowl halftime show. While the rapper’s career boasts multiple Grammy wins, including sweeping all five categories he was nominated for, he will not get paid in line with his accolades. Like other major performers before him, Lamar will earn little to nothing for the high-profile gig, despite the massive spotlight it brings.

Despite his accolades, Kendrick Lamar will only receive union-scale pay for his Super Bowl halftime performance. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images(USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con)

How much do Kendrick Lamar and other performers get paid at Super Bowl?

Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup in New Orleans between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles is sure to be a massive financial windfall for the teams, the NFL, and the advertisers. However, for Kendrick Lamar, it’s not about the money. Despite the global stage, he will not be collecting a hefty paycheck for his halftime performance.

That is because Super Bowl halftime artists, including Lamar, are only paid union scale—the minimum guaranteed amount outlined in a union contract—regardless of the immense exposure and prestige the performance brings, as reported by Forbes.

Assuming that the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union's most recent contract was applied, the per day amount will be translated to $1,000, as reported by People Magazine.

Despite no monetary benefits to the performers, the celebrity artists yet are always eager to perform during the halftime show because of one reason. The Super Bowl stage gives the artists gives them a chance to put out their songs in front of more than 100 million people in the U.S. alone.

Moreover, they do not have to incur the expense of hosting a grand show with the NFL covering the basic travelling and production costs. NFL reportedly spent $13 million during 2020’s halftime show where Jennifer Lopez and Shakira performed, as reported by CBS News.

Why NFL does not give paychecks to performers?

A longstanding policy of the NFL paying only the union scale amount to the performers at the Super Bowl. It refrains the organisation from shelling out huge amounts of cash on halftime show celebrity performers which has featured Usher, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Prince, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney in the past. On the contrary, there have been moments when the performers charged for the opportunity they were given on the stage and the exposure that follows.

In 2015, the NFL reportedly approached major artists like Rihanna, Coldplay, and Katy Perry, asking them to pay a fee in exchange for performing at the Super Bowl halftime show. However, all three artists ultimately rejected the proposal.

Perry agreed to perform, however, rejected the concept of paying up to perform as she told Forbes, “I want to be able to say I played the Super Bowl based on my talents and my merit, thank you very much."