Jay-Z to Perform at Super Bowl Halftime Show in February

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 announced the lineup on Monday night. This marks the first time Jay-Z has stepped into the spotlight as the featured performer, shifting his role from behind-the-scenes producer to frontman.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that his only request when the league first partnered with Roc Nation was that Jay-Z take the stage whenever the moment felt right to him. Goodell noted that the league reached an agreement with the entertainment company to advise on and help produce the league's presentations, a partnership that began in 2019.

Jay-Z said in a statement that the move represents thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world's biggest stage. He described the journey from his 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt, to the Super Bowl stage as a dream come true. The announcement follows days of speculation about who would perform next.

The venue, SoFi Stadium, holds personal significance for the artist. He recently closed the 30th-anniversary tour for Reasonable Doubt there over the weekend. That tour included sold-out shows at Yankee Stadium in New York, as well as performances in London and Paris.

In 2019, Jay-Z told Goodell that if the partnership was about him performing at the Super Bowl, they could end the conversation immediately. Seven years later, he is ready to perform. Roc Nation will executive produce the show, with Hamish Hamilton serving as director.

Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, has won 25 Grammy Awards and received 89 nominations, the second-most in history. He is also a four-time Emmy winner and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. His recent tour featured guests including his daughter Blue Ivy, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Beyoncé.