Apple’s “Road to Halftime” was a multi-part campaign built around Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime performance on February 9, 2025. Alongside music and radio programming, Apple announced an interview, a 20-song career feature, Shazam extras, Fitness+ workouts and New Orleans community partnerships. The performance took place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
What Apple’s “Road to Halftime” campaign included
Apple announced the campaign on February 3, 2025, presenting it as an artist spotlight rather than just a preview of the halftime show. Its collection of content was designed to help listeners explore Lamar’s music before the performance and revisit it through several formats afterward. Apple’s announcement described the following elements:
- Listening collections: Kendrick Lamar’s Road to Halftime collection and playlists curated by New Orleans musicians, NFL players and teams.
- Radio: More than 100 hours of dedicated Apple Music Radio programming, including broadcasts from New Orleans and Los Angeles, a Lamar catalog program hosted by Ebro Darden and a Saturday DJ slate featuring Legatron Prime, DJ Poppa, Mannie Fresh, KLC the Drum Major and a Mustard megamix.
- Career overview: “The Story of Kendrick Lamar in 20 Songs,” a feature tracing his career through selected tracks.
- Interview: “The Official Kendrick Lamar Interview,” recorded at the halftime-show press conference.
- Shazam extras: Apple said Shazam users who identified Lamar songs in the week before the show could reach an event page with bonus material, including a custom Apple Watch face and iPhone wallpaper.
- Fitness+: An Artist Spotlight with Cycling, HIIT, Strength, Yoga, Pilates and Kickboxing workouts set to Lamar’s music.
What happened during the campaign
February 3: Apple announces the campaign
Apple introduced Road to Halftime six days before Super Bowl LIX. Its announcement also included a trailer and described programming and community activity in New Orleans and Los Angeles.
February 6: Press-conference interview and radio takeover begin
Apple scheduled Apple Music Radio hosts Ebro Darden and Nadeska Alexis to interview Lamar at 10 a.m. Central Time on February 6. The radio pre-show was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Central Time. Apple said the interview would be available live or on demand through Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, X and NFL Network. The four-day radio takeover was also set to begin that day.
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These dates and times describe the 2025 schedule; they are not upcoming events.
February 9: Super Bowl LIX halftime show
Lamar performed at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans during Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025. The campaign’s later listening option includes a set-list playlist with studio recordings of songs performed by Lamar and his guests.
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How to revisit the campaign now
Apple Music’s Kendrick Lamar 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show hub continues to surface performance-related listening content. Choose a format based on what you want to explore:
- Hear the performed songs: Open the set-list playlist, which uses studio versions of songs from the show rather than a recording of the live performance.
- Get artist commentary: Look for “The Official Kendrick Lamar Interview.”
- Explore the broader broadcast programming: Find the Apple Music Radio material associated with the campaign.
- Follow a compact career overview: Find “The Story of Kendrick Lamar in 20 Songs.”
What Apple said about Lamar’s Apple Music performance
Apple’s announcement cited several platform-specific figures: it said GNX reached No. 1 in 129 countries upon release, “Not Like Us” was Apple Music’s top-streamed song worldwide, Lamar was among Apple Music’s global top 10 artists for 2024, and nine of his albums had topped Apple Music’s top albums chart in more than 160 countries. These are figures Apple reported about its own service; the announcement did not provide an independent measurement or methodology.
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Rachel Newman, Apple Music’s global head of content and editorial, described Lamar as an artist who had “defined” the cultural moment. The statement was Newman’s, not Lamar’s.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.New Orleans partnerships and local programming
Apple said the campaign also drew on its long-standing partnerships in New Orleans, with an emphasis on education and creativity. It named three organizations:
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- Ellis Marsalis Center for Music: Apple described support for expanding young people’s access to music and technology education.
- Arts New Orleans’ Young Artist Movement: The organization provided opportunities for aspiring artists. Young Artist Movement artists designed an Apple Music-sponsored Super Bowl Host Committee Parade float on iPad.
- Delgado Community College: Apple said students received tools and resources to produce a podcast about local culture and history.
The parade float featured the Ellis Marsalis Center youth jazz ensemble.
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