Kendrick Lamar earns four nominations at the 2025 Emmy Awards

Kendrick Lamar has received four nominations at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. The Compton rapper’s inclusion comes from his spectacular Super Bowl LIX halftime show in February.

Chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Kendrick picked up nominations for ‘Outstanding Variety Special (Live)’, ‘Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special’, ‘Outstanding Music Direction’, and ‘Outstanding Choreography (Variety/Reality)’.

The performance included special guests SZA, Samuel L Jackson, Mustard, and Serena Williams. Kendrick famously performed his Drake diss track, ‘Not Like Us’.

It brought in a record 133.5million viewers, featuring music from his GNX album and hits like ‘Humble’, ‘DNA’ and ‘All the Stars’.

Kendrick faces competition from Beyoncé in the ‘Outstanding Variety Special (Live)’ category for her performance at the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans game on Christmas Day 2024.

Nate Bargatze will host the 2025 Emmys on September 14th at the Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, California.

Leading up to his performance, Kendrick stated that his set was all about storytelling. “I think I’ve always been very open about storytelling,” he said during a press conference. “Through all my catalogue and my history of music, I’ve always had passion about bringing that on whatever stage I’m on. I like to always carry on that sense of make people listen but also see and think a little.”

This isn’t the first time Kendrick has been in the Emmys conversation. In 2022, he won ‘Outstanding Variety Special (Live)’, ‘Outstanding Music Direction’, and ‘Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special’ for his involvement in Dr Dre’s halftime show.

In addition to Kendrick, Dre’s show included all-star appearances from Eminem, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, and Anderson Paak.