Jay-Z to headline Super Bowl halftime

LOS ANGELES. Jay-Z will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 14.

The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced the decision on Monday night. The performance will take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Jay-Z will headline the event, a role he previously declined when his company first partnered with the league.

Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, said he asked Jay-Z to take the stage whenever the moment felt right. That request came when the league agreed to work with Roc Nation in 2019. At the time, Jay-Z told Goodell that if the deal meant he would perform at the Super Bowl, they could end the conversation now. Seven years later, he is ready to play.

"From 'Reasonable Doubt' to standing on the Super Bowl halftime stage, this has been a journey," Jay-Z said in a statement. "Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world's biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true."

The rapper recently played sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt. That album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame last year. During the SoFi concerts, his daughter Blue Ivy played piano on two tracks. Guests included Scarface, John Legend, DJ Khaled, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Too $hort.

Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, has won 25 Grammy Awards and received 89 nominations. That is the second-most in history, behind his wife Beyonce, who has performed at two Super Bowls. He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and founded Roc Nation in 2008. The company will executive produce the halftime show. Hamish Hamilton will direct.

The halftime show has received Emmy recognition in recent years. Bad Bunny's performance in February won a record seven Emmys, including best variety special. Kendrick Lamar's show last year won for music direction. Jay-Z joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017.