Why Kendrick Lamar was paid $0 for his Super Bowl halftime performance

He may have performed on one of the world's biggest stages but Kendrick Lamar will not be paid for his 13-minute set at Super Bowl LIX.

Lamar, 37, followed in the footsteps of Beyonce, Madonna, The Rolling Stones and Lady Gaga by headlining the Super Bowl halftime show at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.

As well as performing the 'Not Like Us' diss track, the American rapper brought out his sidekick SZA before Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams and DJ Mustard made surprise cameos.

Given how expensive it must be to run the show – not to mention the amount of people watching, with more than 129 million tuning in to see last year's clash between the Chiefs and the 49ers – many assume a large fee would come their way.

But they would be wrong. The NFL has previously confirmed that they do not pay the artists for their on-stage performances, but do help to cover production costs, believed to be worth an estimated $10-$20 million.

You could argue the exposure of performing at a Super Bowl is priceless.

As mentioned above, more than 129 million people watched last year's Super Bowl, meaning all eyes were on Usher's halftime performance, which boosted his Spotify streams by 550 percent.

Maroon 5’s sales are believed to have surged by 488 percent after their 2019 gig, while Bruno Mars experienced a 164 percent jump in 2014. The numbers don't lie.

“The halftime show at the Super Bowl remains a highly coveted spot for many artists,” entertainment attorney Lori Landew told Forbes in 2019.

"Some of those artists do not see their appearance as a political statement, nor do they see the show as a cultural battleground, but rather view their live performance as an opportunity to entertain an enthusiastic crowd and to share their music and their talent with millions of viewers.”

Kendrick Lamar performed at Super Bowl LIX. Image credit: Getty

Such is the prestige of performing at a Super Bowl, The Weeknd is said to have thrown $7 million (£5.7 million) at his set in 2021, while Dr Dre spent 'millions' of his own money a year later.