Jay-Z to headline Super Bowl halftime show at SoFi Stadium

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 decision on Monday night. The performer will take the stage for the halftime festivities during the championship game.

Roc Nation, Jay-Z's company, has partnered with the NFL since 2019 to advise on and produce the league's entertainment presentations. This includes the Super Bowl halftime show. Jay-Z told NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at the start of that partnership that he was not interested in performing. He said if the deal was about him being on stage, they could end the conversation right then.

Goodell said he had one request when the league first agreed to work with Roc Nation. He asked that Jay-Z take the stage himself whenever the moment felt right. Seven years later, the rapper is ready to perform. He said in a statement that the journey from his 1996 debut album 'Reasonable Doubt' to the Super Bowl stage has been a dream come true.

Jay-Z is returning to SoFi Stadium after recently finishing a concert tour for the 30th anniversary of 'Reasonable Doubt.' He held three sold-out shows at Yankee Stadium in New York. He also performed sold-out dates in London and Paris. His recent concerts in Los Angeles included a finale on Saturday where Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Too $hort joined him.

Born Shawn Carter, Jay-Z has won 25 Grammy Awards and received 89 nominations. He is behind albums like 'The Blueprint' and 'The Black Album' and songs such as 'Empire State of Mind.' He became the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017. He joined the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

Roc Nation will executive produce the upcoming halftime show. Hamish Hamilton will serve as the director. The halftime show has won Emmy Awards in recent years. Bad Bunny's performance in February won a record seven Emmys. Kendrick Lamar's show last year won an award for music direction.