As if Kendrick Lamar hasn’t made enough history in his career, he became the first solo rapper to headline the Super Bowl halftime show last weekend.
Fresh off sweeping the 2025 Grammy Awards, the Compton rap star delivered a theatrical, multi-layered performance in New Orleans that eradicated any doubt over who won in his battle with Drake — and further solidified him as the Best Rapper Alive.
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With Samuel L. Jackson narrating the video game-themed show as Black Uncle Sam, Kendrick ran through hits from his latest album GNX, delivered a double dose of duets with SZA, and danced on Drake’s purported grave (again) by performing “Not Like Us” in front of a record 133.5 million viewers on the world’s biggest stage.
Dot may have censored his “certified pedophile” line (for legal reasons, no doubt), but he still flashed a devilish smile to the camera as he accused his fierce rival of creeping on underage girls and had the entire Caesars Superdome belting out his witty “A minor” taunt.
Game over, indeed.
Just a few years ago, the idea of Kendrick Lamar headlining the Super Bowl halftime show felt somewhat out of reach. Despite its commercial impact and cultural influence over the last several decades, the NFL had historically overlooked Hip Hop. The few rappers who did perform at the Super Bowl (Nelly, Big Boi, Missy Elliott, etc.) were relegated to playing bit-part roles for pop and rock acts — mainly white, sometimes past their prime.
But since JAY-Z and Roc Nation partnered with the league in 2019 to oversee the halftime show, this pattern has been rightfully curbed. In the last five years, the Super Bowl has become Blacker than ever, with headlining sets from The Weeknd, Rihanna, Usher, Dr. Dre (who was joined by the likes of Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige) and now Kendrick Lamar.
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This trend looks set to continue in the coming years, which begs the question: which other rappers should perform at the Super Bowl?
The gig isn’t given to just anyone, of course. The winning candidate needs hit records, be a seasoned performer who knows how to put on a show and be safe enough for the NFL’s many corporate sponsors (which is precisely why Kanye West will most likely never grace the Super Bowl stage, especially after his latest social media rant).
There are plenty of boxes to tick in order to be considered for the big game, but luckily there is no shortage of rappers who fit the bill. Below, HipHopDX highlights eight MCs who deserve to headline the Super Bowl halftime show next.
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Travis Scott
Love him or loathe him, La Flame has all the credentials to command the Super Bowl halftime show. He has enough high-energy hits to fill a 15-minute setlist (“Sicko Mode,” “Antidote,” “FE!N” etc). He’s one of the most electrifying performers in all of music today, not just Hip Hop, with the imaginative and ambitious stage designs to match. And as his many business partnerships (Nike/Jordan, McDonald’s, WWE) prove, he’s a bankable star who is already adored by corporate America.
Travis himself has made it clear that he wants the gig, saying in a recent interview with Billboard: “Hell yeah, man. Tell the [NFL] to hit me up. They know who to call.”
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The league may have concerns over Travis given the tragic crowd crush at his Astroworld Festival in 2021 which killed 10 people and led to a knotty legal fallout. But the Cactus Jack capo has since managed to recover from the controversy, topping the Billboard 200 with Utopia, embarking on the record-breaking Circus Maximus Tour — the highest-grossing solo rap tour in history with over $200 million in ticket sales — and securing a headlining slot at this year’s Coachella, where he’s set to “curate a fully immersive and experiential world within the desert.”
With a new album on the way, could 2026 be the year that the stars align for Travis Scott?
Drake
Drake would certainly be the most controversial pick to perform next at the Super Bowl given his high-profile beef with Kendrick Lamar (which will likely sizzle, if not at least simmer, for years to come), but there’s no denying that he’s qualified for the role.
As the most streamed artist of all time and the rapper with the most number one singles in Billboard Hot 100 history, the 6 God would have a wealth of hits to pull from. Given his famed versatility, his setlist could be a genre- and geography-hopping journey, spanning hard-hitting rap anthems (“Started From the Bottom,” “Jimmy Cooks”), bouncy pop hits (“God’s Plan,” “Hotline Bling”), R&B ballads (“Hold On, We’re Going Home,” “Take Care”) and dancefloor bops (“Passionfruit,” “One Dance”).
Performing one of his Kendrick diss songs on the planet’s biggest stage would also be sweet, if not belated, revenge for The Boy.
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Whether Drake would accept the gig is another question, though. He has already turned down the Super Bowl twice since JAY-Z took the reins, HipHopDX‘s Elliott Wilson revealed last year, and performing at the game after Kendrick has already made history might be seen as him coming in second place again.
Further complicating matters is the fact that Drizzy named Apple Music — the main sponsor of the halftime show — in his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, accusing the two companies of conspiring to misdirect users to Kendrick’s hit diss track “Not Like Us.”
Aubrey might have to wait until Apple Music’s deal with the NFL expires in 2027 to fulfill his Super Bowl boast from “First Person Shooter.”
Eminem
This one feels like a no-brainer, especially if the Super Bowl ever comes to Detroit. The self-proclaimed Rap God, Marshall Mathers is the best-selling rapper of all time who appeals to both Hip Hop purists and casual fans alike, and has already proven himself as a Super Bowl-worthy performer thanks to Dr. Dre.
He has no shortage of stadium-status hits in his arsenal, from the energizing “Lose Yourself” and “Till I Collapse” to the emotive “Stan” and “Love the Way You Lie.” And while he could easily call on old friends like Dre, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg as special guests, a Slim Shady Super Bowl could also throw out a few curveballs, like a reunion with his old pal Elton John, perhaps.
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Aside from his considerable catalog and pedigree as a performer, Eminem has long proven that he’s a proud ambassador for Hip Hop and the culture it represents. When he came out during Dre’s star-studded halftime show in 2022, he took a knee in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick — an especially bold move given the backlash that JAY-Z faced when he first joined forces with the NFL.
If he were to headline the halftime show himself, you can’t help but wonder what kind of political statement Em would make (looking at you, Donald Trump).
Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne‘s fans and friends were outraged when Kendrick Lamar was announced as this year’s Super Bowl performer. Nicki Minaj, Birdman, Cam’ron and many more all took issue with Weezy being passed over for the halftime show in his hometown of New Orleans, a gig he had openly coveted (and was in the running for).
Even the man himself said he was “hurt” and “broken” by the snub — prompting Kendrick to address his hero on his thunderous GNX opener “wacced out murals.” A back-and-forth between the “Mona Lisa” collaborators ensued, but it appears any friction has since been squashed.
Handing the Super Bowl halftime show to Lil Wayne after all this drama may feel like a consolation prize designed to smooth things over, but whether it returns to New Orleans in the near future or not, he’s a worthy candidate. As many of his supporters argued, Tunechi has the hits to headline the big game — from “A Milli” and “Lollipop” to “6 Foot 7 Foot” and “Forever.” And then, of course, there are his legendary guest verses and collaborations with the fellow A-listers like Drake, Eminem and Nicki Minaj.
Despite his status as a rap legend, there are a few question marks around Lil Wayne’s reliability as a performer. This is someone who has admitted to forgetting his own lyrics, has relied on the use of teleprompters and has even canceled performances mid-show. But now in his 28th year as a professional rapper, you don’t last this long in the music industry without doing a lot of things right.
JAY-Z
Granted, this one would be a major conflict of interest given that JAY-Z literally helps organize the Super Bowl halftime show. In fact, Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez recently confirmed that Hov is more hands-on than some may think, telling NOLA.com: “It really starts with his thinking. It’s easier for him. It’s almost like a chef picking the specials for the evening. He comes up with the shortlist, and we work our way through that.”
But as a certified G.O.A.T. rapper contender with a deep catalog of hits — including the kind that even middle-aged white viewers could sing along to in the stands (see: “Empire State of Mind”) — and a rich history of representing Hip Hop at the highest level, a JAY-Z Super Bowl halftime show feels like something that needs to happen before the window of opportunity closes.
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There’s no shortage of surprise Super Bowl-friendly guests he could bring out, either, from Eminem, Drake and Lil Wayne to Rihanna, Alicia Keys and, of course, Beyoncé. Just imagine if he lured Frank Ocean out of hiding for “No Church in the Wild.”
The timing would have to be right for Shawn Carter, who is now 55, to swap the boardroom for the big stage, though. This is a guy whose last two solo albums have coincided with corporate partnerships (with Samsung for Magna Carta Holy Grail and Sprint for 4:44) so it’s hard to see him agreeing to perform without a new project (or perhaps a bigger business venture) to promote.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is no stranger to the Super Bowl stage having made a guest appearance during Madonna’s halftime show in 2012 (which ruffled feathers thanks to M.I.A.’s infamous middle finger to the camera). Hip Hop has changed massively since then, with an entire wave of female rappers challenging for the crown. Yet Nicki continues to reign supreme.
Outside of her back catalog of pop hits, mixtape cuts and show-stopping lyrical performances, her recent run has reaffirmed this. Pink Friday 2 broke numerous streaming, sales and chart records, its accompanying world tour became the highest grossing female rap tour of all time with over $100 million in revenue, and the chart-topping “Super Freaky Girl” added to her repertoire of raunchy yet radio-friendly hits.
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As someone who often uses social media to remind the world that she’s still the top female rapper in the game, you’d expect Nicki to jump at the opportunity to solidify her place on the throne on the world’s biggest stage. After all, who better to become the first female rapper to headline the Super Bowl than the queen herself?
However, it’s these same Twitter fingers that may just prevent her from getting the gig after she severely criticized JAY-Z and the NFL after her mentor Lil Wayne was snubbed for the halftime show in his hometown of New Orleans this year.
Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator is no longer the rabble-rousing outcast who ate a roach in the “Yonkers” video, nor is he a “mysterious” artist that DJ Khaled once tried to paint him as. Since 2017’s Flower Boy, the Odd Future founder has embarked on one of the most successful and creatively fertile runs in Hip Hop, culminating in his biggest (and arguably best) project to date, Chromakopia.
An album artist at heart, Tyler may lack the crossover hits that one would expect from a Super Bowl set (although hearing “Sticky” inside a football stadium would be worth the extortionate ticket price alone), but he more than makes up for it in showmanship.
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From his globe-trotting, ushanka hat-wearing Sir Baudelaire character to the masked military aesthetic of Chromakopia, Tyler’s performances are as much theater as they are concert, with impressive stage designs to match. (Just revisit his 2021 BET Awards set where he performed as if he was in the eye of a storm.)
If any rapper could come close to matching the storytelling brilliance of Kendrick’s Super Bowl halftime show, it’s Tyler, The Creator.
Doja Cat
An alleged Devil worshipper who has embraced Satanist imagery, appeared on stage with her derrière on full display and once meowed through a red carpet interview while dressed as an actual cat, Doja Cat is the wildcard of the bunch. Yet for all her antics and shock tactics, she posses talent in spades.
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From “Paint the Town Red” and “Tia Tamera” to “Kiss Me More” and “Say So,” the Grammy-winner could put on a rap-meets-R&B Super Bowl halftime show brimming with energy, charisma and sex appeal. Having already played some of the biggest festivals and arenas in the country, there’s no doubting her onstage chops.
Every so often it feels like a video of Doja performing goes viral on social media, highlighting her magnetic stage presence, theatrical choreography and outfits, and iron-lung breath control. If she can dial back her more eccentric tendencies, then she might be able to convince JAY-Z and the NFL to let her become the first female rapper to headline the Super Bowl.
