So the rumors were true: JAŸ-Z is set to perform the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show.
The confirmation came during halftime of Monday Night Football, during the Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles game.
The artist, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, is the founder of the entertainment company Roc Nation, which has produced and selected the Super Bowl halftime show’s performers since 2019. Carter, who has been working behind the scenes of one of the biggest music stages in the country, is now ready to take the spotlight.
“When we first reached an agreement with Roc Nation to produce the show, I had just one request: that JAŸ-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
In a 15-second grayscale teaser clip, the camera zooms out from the hip-hop rapper holding a goat in a stadium, as “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)” from his 2003 album The Black Album plays. The clip was posted on NFL, Roc Nation and Apple Music with the caption “GOAT’s out of the bag. @jayz #AppleMusicHalftime #SBLXI.”
The NFL and Roc Nation have been working together on the conference’s social justice initiatives and entertainment since they partnered in 2019. Their partnership was recently renewed in 2024 for another five years in a $5 million-a-year deal. Together, they’ve brought an array of artists to the big stage like The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Usher, and most recently, Bad Bunny.
JAŸ-Z’s confirmation as headliner comes days after sources told Puck News that the hip-hop artist was going to perform for the Super Bowl halftime show.
“We’ve had the privilege of working closely with him [JAŸ-Z] these last few years to bring some of the world’s most exciting and prolific artists to the Super Bowl Halftime Show stage, and we are so thrilled that he will be taking that stage himself this year,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s Vice President of Music and International Content. “We know it’s going to be an incredible show.”
JAŸ-Z just wrapped up the JAŸ-Z30 Tour this past Saturday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The tour was a celebration of the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album Reasonable Doubt and the 25th anniversary of his sixth studio album Blueprint. The rapper will return to Inglewood to perform for the Super Bowl on Feb. 14, 2027.
The four-time Emmy Award winner was the first hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and just last year, Reasonable Doubt was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl halftime stage, this has been a journey,” said JAŸ-Z. “Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”
The post JAŸ-Z will Headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show appeared first on LAmag.
