
Photograph by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella
ESPN announced this morning that rapper Kendrick Lamar, whose Damn. album is likely on every single “best of 2017” list you will read this year, will be the halftime performer during the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 8. The performance will be a free concert in Centennial Olympic Park, blocks away from the game itself at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and will be televised during the game’s halftime on ESPN. The halftime performance is the first of its kind for the three-year-old championship series. The event is non-ticketed, so all you need to do is show up (early—we assume this it’s going to be packed).
The announcement comes on the heels of Lamar’s recent seven Grammy nominations for Damn., and we weren’t kidding about the album being on every single best of 2017 list. As of now, his performance will close a week of free live shows at Centennial Park, including Jason Derulo and Charlie Puth on January 6, The Chainsmokers on January 7, and Darius Rucker on January 8 for the pregame show.
Add the fact that the Georgia Bulldogs could be playing in the big game if they defeat Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, and this is quickly shaping up to be a can’t-miss event.