5 hours ago
3
Exclusive
Sources close to the Grammy-nominated singer says excitement levels are through the roof
- Steve Brenner, Exclusives Reporter
- Published: 15:25 ET, Jan 24 2025
- Updated: 15:25 ET, Jan 24 2025
SZA has been working for weeks ahead of her Super Bowl performance with Kendrick Lamar and cannot wait to strut her stuff in New Orleans, a source close to the singer has told The U.S. Sun.
The Grammy-nominated star was the first person Lamar contacted to assist him during the coveted half-time showpiece gig on February 9, according to our insider.
5
5
5
The U.S. Sun has been told SZA's excitement is at an "all-time high" and plans for her outfits are well underway for what our sources describe as a "historical show."
"SZA is close to Kendrick," said the insider.
"This is one of the biggest stages in the world, and she wants to make the most of it."
In a teaser that dropped on Thursday, Lamar struts onto a football field with his trademark swagger, only to be ambushed by SZA herself, who sassily splashes him with water.
SZA and Lamar go way back.
They were labelmates on Top Dawg Entertainment and SZA performed on Lamar's recent album GNX, bossing tracks like Gloria and Luther.
The duo is touring together this year and has collaborated on tracks like All the Stars and Doves in the Wind.
The Grand National Tour will perform in 19 cities across North America, starting April 19 in Minneapolis and wrapping up June 18 in Washington DC.
MILLIONS WATCHING
Their performance at the Super Bowl will transport them onto a global stage and allow them to roll out some collaborations they've been working hard on in the studio.
The source says the pair will be able to give a "first glimpse" at new material, which will be released in 2025.
Drake’s lawsuit ‘can’t stop’ Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show and ‘hurtful’ diss track
"Their connection is amazing," continued the source.
"It was no surprise SZA was asked to play at the Super Bowl."
Lamar is set to spark controversy with the performance, however, after it was revealed there are no legal obstacles to him performing his smash-hit Drake diss track Not Like Us, as revealed by The U.S. Sun.
His announcement of bringing SZA into the fold, meanwhile, will ramp up his set list to the next level.
DRAKE & KENDRICK FEUD TIMELINE
On October 6, 2023, Drake and J. Cole released First Person Shooter, in which J. Cole claimed that himself, Drake, and Kendrick are the “big three” of hip-hop.
On March 22, 2024, Kendrick responded to the claim of a "big three" in his verse on Metro Boomin and Future’s song Like That, where he instead stated, “It’s just big me," and accused both rappers of sneak dissing.
On April 5, 2024, J. Cole dropped his Kendrick diss track, 7 Minute Drill, in which he fired “warning shots” at the rapper as he accused the good kid, m.A.A.d city artist of seeking “attention” and slammed his latest music releases as “tragic.”
But on April 7, 2024, two days after releasing the Kendrick diss, J. Cole retracted his statement and backed out of the feud, as he stated he felt pressured to respond because “the world wanna see blood.”
On April 13, 2024, Drake responded to Kendrick with Push Ups, which had lyrics ridiculing Kendrick's height and his mainstream collaborations with Taylor Swift and Maroon 5.
The track also dissed rappers Future and Rick Ross and producer Metro Boomin.
On April 19, 2024, Drake dropped another diss track, Taylor Made Freestyle, that used AI-generated voices of Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur to pressure Kendrick to respond.
On April 30, 2024, Kendrick dropped Euphoria, a six-minute diss track, in which he criticized Drake’s biracial identity, questioned the rapper’s ability as a father, and claimed that Drake is a “scam artist."
On May 1, 2024, Drake responded to Kendrick's diss by posting a clip from the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You on his Instagram Story in which Julia Stiles’ character Kat lists the reasons she hates Heath Ledger’s character Patrick - mirroring a Euphoria bar where Lamar provides reasons he hates Drake.
On May 3, 2024, Kendrick dropped a second Drake diss track, 6:16 in LA in which Kendrick alleges Drake’s own team is working against him as he rapped, “Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it,” and stated Drake “can't Toosie Slide up out of this one."
After Drake responded with his diss track Family Matters, where he called accused Kendrick of infidelity, the Humble hitmaker would release Meet the Grahams, his fourth diss track against the Canadian rapper.
SZA heads into the February 2 Grammys with two nominations for her hit single Saturn, while Lamar boasts an impressive seven nods, including song and record of the year.
Jay-Z's Roc Nation is producing the half-time show, with Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins calling the shots.
Plus, pgLang, Lamar’s creative company with Dave Free, is bringing visionary vibes.
Last year, Usher brought down the house in Las Vegas with a superstar-packed lineup, but Lamar and SZA are being tipped to raise the bar even further.
"This is a very important moment for SZA," said the insider," it's going to be amazing."
5
5
)
)
)
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25845826/2194584986.jpg)
English (US) ·