As a Hip-Hop head, I would absolutely love to see Lil Wayne headline Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. How real would that be, in his city, three+ decades into his career? I would also love to see Kanye West headline a Super Bowl, and run through hits from arguably the greatest catalog in any music genre. But, it's 2024. And neither of those artists is a good brand fit for the #1 most watched sporting event in the US.
Kendrick Lamar is the smart bet for the 2025 Super Bowl. He created a cultural wave this year that is not slowing down at all. He's a great performer, he has an extensive network of artist friends he can bring out as guests, he has diverse fanbase across cultures, and he has the biggest song of the year - "Not Like Us" with the second line in New Orleans is gonna go crazy.
Sure, we as fans want to see a headliner from the Super Bowl host city now. But, in reality, that only happened with Dr. Dre in LA in 2022. It's not the norm. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg made perfect sense to headline in LA, or in any other city. If you don't understand why, just see Snoop's brand partnership with NBC for the Paris Olympics.
Timing and brand alignment are two keys to a brand partnership done right. The NFL and the Super Bowl are big business, and major brands. The Super Bowl halftime show is co-produced by JAY-Z, in partnership with his Roc Nation entertainment empire. Lil Wayne is most definitely one of the greatest artists of all time, and his influence is undeniable. But, as a performer and a brand, he just doesn't make sense for the Super Bowl LIX stage. As a marketer, this is a major brand partnership, and Kendrick Lamar most definitely makes sense.
"I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man." -JAY-Z
#KendrickLamar #SuperBowlLIX #SBLIX #BrandPartnerships #NFL
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