Rihanna believes Kendrick Lamar "deserves" to headline the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show.
The singer's comments come amid backlash from fans and other artists, who believed rapper Lil Wayne was the obvious choice for the prestigious performance.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Rihanna said of the decision, "It's a diamond on a ring finger, honey. It's meant to be! It's Kendrick Lamar! Kendrick Lamar is the one that's supposed to do it right now. He's gonna crush it. We should never doubt him. He's an amazing artist, top-tier. He had an incredible year. He actually brought so many people together. It's to be celebrated. That's what culture is. He deserves it. I cannot wait to see it. Kendrick, thank you."
Lil Wayne had previously told how he was expecting a call from the NFL, particularly as the event will be held in his hometown of New Orleans. When he didn't get the gig, he took to social media to talk about his disappointment.
"That hurt. It hurt a lot. You know what I'm talking about. It hurt a whole lot," he said. "I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown. And for automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position. So I blame myself for that."
Rihanna performed at the 2023 Super Bowl where she revealed she was pregnant with her second baby. Her performance attracted 121 million viewers. Last year, Usher took the stage at the iconic sporting event, pulling in 123 million viewers.
