Because the 25-time Grammy winner has been announced as the halftime show performer for Super Bowl LXI, set to take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Valentine’s Day, ESPN announced Oct. 26.
And if there was ever a time for an encore, this is it.
“From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey,” Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, shared in a press release obtained by E! News. “Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”
While Jay-Z, who shares daughter Blue Ivy, 14, and 9-year-old twins Rumiand Sir with wife Beyoncé, has never performed at the Super Bowl, he’s hardly a stranger to the halftime show.
In fact, his company Roc Nation has helped curate and produce the event in recent years after the NFL, led by commissioner Roger Goodell, partnered with the brand in 2019 and later extended their deal for an undisclosed number of years.
“It’s been a mutually positive relationship,” Goodell shared with Bloomberg in 2024. “I’m not sure either one of us really spend much time talking about contracts.”
And now that Jay-Z’s performance is signed, sealed and soon to be delivered, he can always get advice from Beyoncé, who knows a thing or two about running the stage. After all, she headlined Super Bowl 2013—we’ll never forget how her electrifying performance (allegedly) caused a 34-minute blackout—and returned in 2016 to join Coldplay and Bruno Mars onstage, while Jay-Z cheered from the stands.
So yes, there may be 99 problems but showing up for one another certainly isn’t one.
And that goes for every moment, whether it’s in front of millions nationwide or a little closer to home, like the premiere of his JAY-Z in 8 docuseries.
“I’m really excited,” Jay-Z told E! News last month about his family sitting down to watch. “They know these things. We talk all the time. It’ll be fascinating to see on a big screen and at times, I know it’ll be, like, cringe.”
“You know, when you put yourself out there like that,” he noted, “you get embarrassed but it’s honest, and it’s a beautiful piece. So, I’m very proud of it.”
As Jay-Z draws up a winning game plan for Feb. 14, keep reading for a look back at the most memorable Super Bowl performances of all time.
Not only did Kendrick Lamar deliver a poignant performance filled with symbolism about the racial and political divide in America, but he also managed to sneak in a few digs at Drake amid their heated feud.Usher gave an OMG-worthy performance, with Alicia Keys, will.i.am, Lil Jon, Ludacris and H.E.R. making special appearances.Rihanna’s red hot performance also served as her announcement for her pregnancy with baby No. 2.Jennifer Lopez and Shakira made history with their performance at the 2020 Super Bowl, becoming the first two Latinas to lead a halftime performance. Lopez even had the chance the share a sweet moment on the stage with her child, Emme, performing together in front of the large crowd.Lady Gaga made quite the impression at the when she dropped in from the sky at the NRG Stadium in Houston. Complete with pyrotechnics and multiple costume changes, the performance featured electric renditions of her hits “Poker Face,” “Born This Way,” “Telephone,” “Just Dance,” “Million Reasons” and “Bad Romance.”Katy Perry attracted the largest audience in the history of Super Bowl halftime shows with a powerhouse medley that included “Roar,” “Teenage Dream” and “Firework” with appearances from Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliot.Joined by special guests The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruno Mars brought the funk to Super Bowl XLVIII with smash hits like “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Just the Way You Are.”Beyoncé reunited with Destiny’s Child band members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for a sizzling group performance during her headliner set.Madonna’s powerhouse performance (including her hits “Give Me All Your Luvin,” “Vogue,” “Like a Prayer” and more) was almost upstaged my M.I.A.’s middle finger. Almost.The Black Eyed Peas had a tough act to follow after The Who killed it in 2010. But the Grammy-winning group brought down the house during the Super Bowl XLV halftime show with their hits “I Gotta Feeling,” “Boom Boom Pow” and “Let’s Get It Started.”The Who’s lead singer Roger Daltrey and lead guitarist Pete Townshend added some serious rock n’ roll to Super Bowl XLIV.Jennifer Hudson belted out the National Anthem like only a Dreamgirl could at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa.From “Purple Rain” to “Let’s Go Crazy,” Prince brought the party to Florida during Super Bowl XLI.The Rolling Stones were dishing out plenty of satisfaction during the Super Bowl XL halftime show with their classic rock hits “Start Me Up,” “Rough Justice” and “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.”Paul McCartney rocked out during the Super Bowl XXXIX halftime show, playing a medley of songs including “Live and Let Die” and the Beatles hit “Hey Jude.”No doubt Super Bowl XXXVII’s halftime show was going to be a hit when Gwen Stefani joined Sting onstage for a duet of “Message in a Bottle.”Beyoncé is no stranger to the big game. She got her Latin flare on with Carlos Santana during the Super Bowl XXXVII pregame show and sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXXVIII the following year.Bono and the boys performed three of their hit songs when U2 hit the stage for a special 9/11 tribute performance during Super Bowl XXXVI.Rock gods met pop superstars midgame at Super Bowl XXXV when Aerosmith was joined by *NSync, Britney Spears and Mary J. Blige for a star-studded halftime performance of “Walk This Way.”Super Bowl XXXV began in true boy-band fashion with a Backstreet Boys rendition of the national anthem.Phil Collins delivered with his performance of “Two Worlds” during Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta.Christina Aguilera and Enrique Iglesias helped entertain millions of fans with their performance of “Celebrate The Future Hand in Hand.”
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