Usher Reveals Advice for Kendrick Lamar Ahead of Super Bowl Halftime Show

Usher is passing the torch and sharing advice for Kendrick Lamar before he takes the stage during the Super Bowl LIX Apple Music Halftime Show.

Usher wants Kendrick Lamar to win big with his Super Bowl Halftime Performance.

After bringing the house down with his medley of hits during last year’s Super Bowl the “Yeah” singer had a key piece of advice for Kendrick as he prepares to take the stage during the showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans Feb. 9.

“The one thing I would say is, savor the moment,” Usher told Jennifer Hudson during the Feb. 4 episode of her eponymous daytime talk show. “You get obsessed with trying to build the best performance, but you don’t realize that it’s really about enjoying it. It might not be perfect, everything might not go exactly the way it supposed to but if you are in your mind, and stuck trying to make something perfect, you’re not gonna look up and smell the flowers.”

Despite the pressure and work going into the performance, the “Love in this Club” artist wants Kendrick to bask in the moment.

“My encouragement to him is to really be present. I hope that he uses the moment well, there’s a lot that could be said,” the 46-year added. “There’s a lot to be said for where hip hop has come from. There’s a lot to be said for that young man and how he’s completely been an incredible benchmark for what it means to be an artist. I’m just hoping that he really maximizes that moment.”

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Indeed, there is a lot for Kendrick, 37, to celebrate in the run-up to the Super Bowl as his headlining set is just days after he took home five out of seven awards  he was nominated for at the 2025 Grammys for his Drake diss track “Not Like Us.” And among those accolades were two of the top awards: Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

While he’s been mum about any details surrounding his performance, the “Squabble Up” rapper did confirm that SZA would take the stage alongside him during the event. And she confirmed fans aren’t going to have a moment to snooze, as Kendrick’s performance is shaping up to be big.

“You know, his performance is so incredible,” she teased to Entertainment Tonight at the Grammys Feb. 2. “I’m just grateful to be a part of it and I’m grateful that he’s down to elevate me and I can’t let him or my country down.”

Ahead of Kendrick’s performance, take a look back at Usher’s show-stopping set…

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Spotlights, Big Stage, Fifty Thousand Fans Screaming

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H.E.R. Takes Center Stage

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Confessions: They Totally Rocked the Stage

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Usher Onstage with Ludacris, Lil Jon, Jermaine Dupri and will.i.am

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So Much Talent on One Stage

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There’s So Many Ways to Love This Performance

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This Was Something Special…

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This Was Just Like Dynamite

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Bodies Rockin’ From Side to Side

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And He Said “Yeah!”

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For Alicia Keys and Usher, It Started When They Were Younger…

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They’re Feeling the Love in this Club

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Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh my gosh

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These Two Got Us Fallin’ in Love

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Fans Were Totally Caught Up in This Epic Performance

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Can’t Imagine This Super Bowl Without You, Usher