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Rapper Jay-Z has been named headliner of the 2027 Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show. The announcement came during halftime of the Monday Night Football game between the Cowboys and the Eagles on ABC. Puck was the first outlet to report the news.
Super Bowl LXI will air on ABC and ESPN on Sunday, Feb. 14, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in the Los Angeles area. The stadium is home to the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jay-Z follows Bad Bunny, who performed at Super Bowl LX in February and later won an Emmy for the halftime performance.
Jay-Z said in a statement: “From ‘Reasonable Doubt’ to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey. Thirty years of music, work and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league has worked closely with Jay-Z and Roc Nation for several years. When the NFL first agreed with Roc Nation to produce the show, Goodell made one request: that Jay-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him.
“I couldn’t be more excited for fans around the world to experience the artistry, creativity and cultural impact he will bring to the Super Bowl stage,” Goodell said.
Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of music and international content, said in a statement that Apple has worked closely with Jay-Z in recent years to bring artists to the halftime stage. “Jay-Z’s impact on global music culture is as profound as it is undeniable,” Schusser said.
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said Jay-Z has set a standard of excellence for decades as an artist and cultural figure, and noted that he has won 25 Grammy Awards. Pitaro said ESPN, ABC, and Disney+ will air the halftime set in the U.S. and around the world.
Jay-Z’s company, Roc Nation, has curated the halftime show through a deal with the NFL that began in 2019 and renewed in 2024. Under the agreement, the NFL consults Roc Nation on its entertainment offerings, including the halftime show. The two also work together on events and social activism, including the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative.
The partnership followed the NFL’s controversial treatment of former San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick, who staged protests against police brutality and systemic racism. Jay-Z initially supported Kaepernick publicly, but the two later fell out after Jay-Z signed a deal with the league. Kaepernick told NBC News in September that Jay-Z aligned with the NFL, which Kaepernick said has blackballed him.
Jay-Z joins a list of halftime headliners that includes his wife Beyonce, Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Katy Perry, The Weeknd, Usher, The Rolling Stones and Bruno Mars.
Bad Bunny performed a 13-minute set at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, during Super Bowl LX. The Puerto Rican rapper and singer played songs including “Titi Me Pregunto,” “Monaco,” and “DtMF.” The set told a love story and included several celebrity cameos. It ended with a message on the stadium screens: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
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