Less than 48 hours after leaving the stage at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles this weekend, Jay Z made it official. The hip hop icon and founder of Roc Nation has been chosen to lead the Super Bowl LXI halftime show in the City of Angels.
“From Reasonable Doute to the Super Bowl halftime show, it’s been a journey,” the Hard Knock Life rapper said today, nearly a week after Deadline confirmed his role in the Feb. 14 big game at the aforementioned SoFi. Thirty years of music, work and culture on the biggest stage in the world. This race continues to be a dream come true.
Halftime show sponsor Apple Music posted a detailed video on social media, putting doubters aside.
After dancing around the unveiling for several days, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also came clean tonight.
Following in the halftime footsteps of Dr. Dre, Eminem, May J Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg in 2022, Rihanna in 2023, Usher in 2024, the great (and Drake beef) Kendrick in 2025, and the show stopping Bad Bunny in 2026, the league boss had nothing but praise for the man born Shawn Carter: “For several “I had the privilege of working closely with Jay-Z and Roc Nation, and saw the extraordinary impact he had on the Super Bowl halftime show,” Goodell said Monday.
“When we made a deal with Roc Nation to produce the show, I had only one request: that Jay-Z himself take the stage one day, whenever the moment seemed appropriate,” the commissioner continued, without any hyperbole. “I couldn’t be more excited for fans around the world to experience the artistry, creativity and cultural impact he will bring to the Super Bowl stage.”
Now that the matter is settled, the real question is who Jay Z’s guest stars will be.
If only for the inclusion of their #1 mega hit Madly in love, it seems obvious that Beyoncé will join her partner for a tune or two.
Other possible collaborators who seem sexy are the Roots, with whom Jay Z was on stage at the group’s Roots Picnic in Philadelphia last summer. Nas and Pharrell Williams were part of Jay Z’s shows in New York earlier this year and Dre and Snoop were in attendance in SoFi last weekend. Add to that, Jay Z’s London concerts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium included a Fugees mini-reunion with Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean.
Frankly speaking, Jay Z may or may not have 99 problemsbut Super Bowl LXI broadcast by ESPN and Disney+ is not one of them.
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