Jay-Z to Perform at Super Bowl Halftime

Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The NFL, Apple Music, and Roc Nation made the announcement Monday night. The decision puts the Brooklyn rapper in the lead role for the first time in his career.

Roc Nation has worked with the NFL since 2019. During that partnership, the company helped produce entertainment presentations for the league. Jay-Z said he initially told NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that he did not want to perform at the game. He stated that if the deal was about him taking the stage, they could end the conversation right away.

Goodell said he had one request when the league first agreed to work with Roc Nation. He asked Jay-Z to perform whenever the moment felt right. After seven years of advising on the shows, the rapper agreed to step into the spotlight.

In a statement, Jay-Z described the move as a continuation of a dream. He noted that his career spans thirty years of music and culture. The announcement came after days of speculation about the lineup.

The choice of venue connects to Jay-Z’s recent tour. He closed his 30th anniversary celebration of his 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt, at SoFi Stadium over the weekend. That tour included sold-out shows at Yankee Stadium, London, and Paris. At the Inglewood shows, guests included his daughter Blue Ivy, Scarface, John Legend, and DJ Khaled. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Too $hort performed on the final night.

Roc Nation will executive produce the halftime show. Hamish Hamilton will serve as the director. Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, has won 25 Grammy Awards. He is the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and has won four Emmy Awards.