Jay-Z reportedly chooses himself to headline Super Bowl LXI halftime show
Jay-Z reportedly chooses himself to headline Super Bowl LXI halftime show
Liz Foster Tue, October 20, 2026 at 1:31 PM UTC
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Jay-Z has reportedly chosen himself to headline the 2027 Super Bowl -Credit:AFP via Getty Images (AFP via Getty Images)
Rapper and music mogul Jay-Z has chosen himself as the next Super Bowl halftime show headlining act, according to reports.
Ahead of Super Bowl LXI, Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Corey Carter, reportedly picked himself to perform at the halftime show. Jay-Z is the founder and chairman of entertainment giant Roc Nation, which signed a $5 million yearly contract with the NFL. The deal began in 2019 and was re-signed in 2024 to cover the next five years. Super Bowl LXI will take place at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium on February 14, 2027.
Jay-Z's purported performance would follow Bad Bunny's record-breaking appearance at the 2026 Super Bowl.
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Neither Jay-Z, 56, nor Roc Nation have officially announced the rapper as next year's headlining act, but Puck shared the news, claiming that multiple inside sources believe the move felt "inevitable."
They added that the choice is "more compelling" than other would-be Super Bowl halftime acts, such as Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Harry Styles. The latter two artists were reportedly on Roc Nation an Jay-Z's "wish list" for upcoming Super Bowl halftime show acts.
Roc Nation and the NFL partnered up to 'enhance the NFL's live game experiences and to amplify the league's social justice efforts' -Credit:Getty Images
Roc Nation and the NFL partnered up back in 2019 to "enhance the NFL's live game experiences and to amplify the league's social justice efforts," per an official statement from the NFL. Roc Nation was granted the power to "advise on the selection of artists for major NFL performances like the Super Bowl."
Last year, Puerto Rican singer and rapper Bad Bunny took the stage for the Super Bowl halftime show in February at Levi's Stadium. He brought in a whopping 4.157 billion total views globally within 24 hours. Bad Bunny's performance also marked the first time a Super Bowl halftime act performed entirely in a language other than English.
In a 2024 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jay-Z toyed with the idea of taking on the halftime show himself.
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"I thought it would be selfish to pick myself too early," he said, "Maybe one year. Maybe."
On X, users quipped, that artists Ma$e and Cam’ron "called it."
In September, Cam'ron and Ma$e addressed Jay-Z and Roc Nation's alleged struggle to find an artist to headline the halftime show for Super Bowl LXI. Talking on the pair's podcast, It Is What It Is, Cam'ron quipped about Jay-Z taking on the task for himself.
"The year that you got your masters back from Reasonable Doubt," said Cam'ron, "The year you sell out Yankee Stadium three nights in a row. The year that you in Paris and Europe and all these places doing tours right now. Nobody could find time for that?"
"'I just might have to do it myself. I don't know,'" he joked, imagining what Jay-Z would say.
"Just say you've been lining this up for three-and-a-half years. You not doing nothing by accident," continued the musician.
'Maybe one year. Maybe,' once said Jay-Z of headlining the Super Bowl -Credit:Getty Images for Roc Nation
Jay-Z's rumored performance received mixed reactions on X.
"Jay-z picking himself for the halftime show is the funniest conflict of interest in music. the man has booked this show since 2019, this is just a hiring manager putting his own name in the hat and winking at the camera. 99 problems and getting the gig wasnt one. how many minutes before beyonce crashes the set and steals the whole thing," wrote one user in response to the rumors.
"Unfortunately one of the funniest things he’s done," added another.
"I believe the Jay Z hate is ONLY online. He just had sold out shows in Paris which fans from around the world traveled to see him. I don’t see the issue w/ him performing at the Super Bowl. He’s given others the chance & now he wants to grace the stage. He has the catalog for it," penned a third response.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
