On Jan. 8, the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship will take place to crown the best team of the season. Clemson-Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and Oklahoma-Georgia in the Rose Bowl—both set for kickoff on Jan. 1—will be two closely watched games to see who is going head-to-head in finals.
Kendrick Lamar has been named the inaugural performer at the halftime show for the national championship game. After a remarkable year that included the release of his fourth studio album Damn, which received seven Grammy nominations, K-Dot is starting off his 2018 in a big way.
“Having the opportunity to perform at halftime of what will surely be the best game of the year between two deserving universities is truly an honor,” said Kendrick Lamar in a statement. “Thank you, ESPN, for having me be the first halftime performer ever at the College Football Playoff National Championship.”
“In each year of the College Football Playoff, we’ve been able to build upon the experience of the last,” said Ed Erhardt, president, ESPN global sales & marketing. “This year is a true first for college football – and it makes sense that the hottest performer of the moment, Kendrick Lamar, would usher in this new era for the national championship game.”
Kendrick’s performances were intense and stunning this year. He performed “DNA” and “Humble” at the MTV Video Music Awards and rocked with Future to perform the “Mask Off” remix at the BET Awards.
His performance will be a free, non-ticketed event at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park outside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium (where the game takes place) with footage of his performance integrated into the halftime telecast. He is expected to do a medley of his hits for his CFP performance. More Damn tracks please.
