LOS ANGELES — Jay-Z has spent years helping shape the Super Bowl halftime show from behind the scenes. Now, the rap icon is preparing to take center stage as its headliner.
The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Monday night that Jay-Z will lead the halftime performance on Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The announcement ends days of speculation and brings Jay-Z back to the same stadium where he concluded his “Jay-Z 30” concert series over the weekend. The tour opened with three performances at New York’s Yankee Stadium, moved to London and finished in Southern California.
Since 2019, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has worked with the NFL to advise on and produce the league’s entertainment events, including the Super Bowl halftime show. When the partnership began, Jay-Z told NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, “If this is about me performing at the Super Bowl, then we can just end this conversation now.”
Seven years later, he has changed his mind and will perform after all.
Born Shawn Carter, Jay-Z has earned 25 Grammy Awards from 89 nominations, ranking second in nominations behind his wife, Beyoncé, who has headlined two Super Bowl halftime shows. His influential catalog includes “Reasonable Doubt,” “The Blueprint” and “The Black Album,” along with major hits including “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem),” “99 Problems” and “Empire State of Mind,” his collaboration with Alicia Keys.
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His landmark 1996 debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” entered the Grammy Hall of Fame last year.
Jay-Z’s influence also reaches well beyond recording music. He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and launched Roc Nation in 2008, growing the company into a broad entertainment business representing artists and athletes while also working in music publishing and sports.
In 2017, Jay-Z became the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Four years later, he was inducted into the Rock
Bad Bunny headlined the previous Super Bowl halftime show in February. In the hours after his performance, his music posted notable increases across streaming charts, playlists and music discovery services.
