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Super Bowl LIX is fast approaching, with Kendrick Lamar set to take the stage at the halftime show in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The 2025 Super Bowl will be taking place on Sunday, February 9, with the Kansas City Chiefs returning to the field in hopes of a three-peat against the Philadelphia Eagles. The two teams previously faced off against each other in 2023, with the Chiefs winning 38-35.
The halftime event is expected to be a show-stopping occasion, with Lamar as the headliner. The “Not Like Us” singer will be joined by his longtime collaborator and friend, SZA, who he’s going on tour with later this year.
Although it’s unclear if his family will join him at his event, Lamar has a longtime partner: Whitney Alford, 38. The couple – who’ve been engaged since 2015 — also share two children: Uzi, five, and Enoch, whose age has not been publicly revealed.
Here’s everything we know about Lamar’s relationship with Alford and their family.
Lamar and Alford started dating when they were in high school.
The pair first met back when they were teenagers, as they were both attending Centennial High School in Compton, California together. He references their meeting in his 2010 song, “She Needs Me.”
“Five years later, an accounting major, work at a firm / Abundance of paper, she got a career, she look in the rear / View mirror of a Mercedez that she can steer,” he raps in the tune.
During an interview with The New York Times in 2014, he was asked who in his life had the power to call him out, and he gave Alford a shoutout. “One particular young lady,” he said. “She’s been here since Day 1.”
He’s also previously gushed about how open he is with his wife. “That’s my best friend. I don’t even like the term that society has put in the world as far as being a companion — she’s somebody I can tell my fears to,” he told Billboard about Alford in 2015.
They got engaged in 2015.
In 2015, Lamar officially confirmed rumors that he and Alford were engaged. When asked if the engagement speculation was true, during an appearance on Power 105.1 radio show The Breakfast Club at the time, he said: “Yeah, definitely. I’m loyal to the soil.”
Lamar and Alford welcomed their first child in 2019.
In 2019, the couple welcomed their now-five-year-old daughter, as reported by Us Weekly at the time. Since Alford and Lamar are notoriously private about their lives, they did not reveal their daughter’s name when she was born.
Lamar and Alford welcomed their second child in 2022.
Lamar announced that he was a father of two through his album cover. In May 2022, he unveiled the cover art for his album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
In the album cover art, he was seen holding his eldest child, while Alford was sitting on the bed with their infant son in her arms, seemingly revealing they had another child. “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Shot by @renellaice,” Alfrod wrote in the caption of an Instagram post of the photo.
One month later, she shared another snap on Instagram of the family of four posing outside, as she held her youngest child in her arms. In the caption, she reflected on how she was celebrating Father’s Day, noting that she was honoring the men in her life who’ve “stepped up” for the women they love.
“Men it’s not as important for us to celebrate you, as it is for You to celebrate You. Celebrate your contribution to the next generation. I am grateful for the men that are showing me a different picture, my lens was very narrow before but not anymore,” she wrote. “Love you guys, keep showing up. Happy Father’s Day @kendricklamar.”
However, it wasn’t until after the 2023 Grammy Awards that Lamar’s children’s names were revealed. As he took the stage to accept the award for Best Rap Album, the “DNA” singer gave a special shoutout to his loved ones.
“First and foremost, I want to thank my family for giving me the courage and the vulnerability to share these stories and share my truth with this album,” he said.
Following the ceremony, Alford posted a video of her daughter reacting to Lamar’s speech. In the footage, the then-three-year-old shared her and her brother’s name. “He’s talking about his family,” she said in Alford’s since-deleted video, which has been reshared on X. “Uzi, Enoch and mommy.”
Alford has appeared on Lamar’s albums.
Alford provided backup vocals in two of Lamar’s songs, “Wesley’s Theory” and “King Kunta,” which are on his 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly. Last summer, she made an appearance in Lamar’s music video for his hit tune, “Not Like Us.”
Lamar has also shared how his children have shaped his career. During an interview with W Magazine in 2022, he said that when he wasn’t sure if he wanted to release Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, he thought about his children.
“When I got to completion and I said, ‘I may or may not put this out; I’m not going to put this out; it’s way too much,’ I thought about my children,” he explained. “I thought about when they turn 21, or they’re older in life, and when I got grandchildren, or if I’m long gone—this can be a prerequisite of how to cope. That’s the beauty of it for me.”
