Rapper Jay-Z will perform at the Super Bowl half-time show in February, the NFL has announced, the BBC reported. Super Bowl LXI will be played on February 14 near Los Angeles.
From producer to performer
Jay-Z's company Roc Nation has produced the half-time show since 2019, and he plays a key part in choosing each year's performer. But he has never taken the stage himself.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that when the league first agreed with Roc Nation to produce the show, "I had just one request: that Jay-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him."
"From 'Reasonable Doubt' to standing on the Super Bowl halftime stage, this has been a journey," said Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter. "Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world's biggest stage."
Will Beyoncé join him?
The NFL itself fuelled the speculation. "Anticipation as to who Jay-Z might have guest star at halftime for the big game will now kick off," it said. "Of course, his wife, Beyoncé, will be atop the list."
Background
The announcement followed two shows Jay-Z played last weekend at the Los Angeles stadium that will host the Super Bowl, part of a tour marking 30 years of his debut album Reasonable Doubt.
He follows recent half-time stars including Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Usher, Rihanna and The Weeknd. Kendrick Lamar's 2025 show was the most-watched half-time performance in history.
Jay-Z has won 25 Grammy awards, was the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.