Thirty years after his debut album asked listeners to accept a measure of doubt, Jay-Z has been given the one stage he had long shaped from behind the scenes. The NFL has confirmed that he will headline the half-time show at Super Bowl LXI, set for 14 February near Los Angeles, marking his first time performing at the league's championship game. For years his company Roc Nation has guided who takes that stage, and now the artist who helped choose the performers steps onto it himself. The moment closes a long relationship between a musician and a sport, and it marks a quiet turn in the story of
Jay-Z to Headline Super Bowl Half-Time Show, Marking First NFL Championship Performance
He has shaped the show for years without ever appearing in it
Mark
Jay-Z has produced this show for years. Why is this booking a big deal?
Mimi
Because he has picked the performers since 2019 through Roc Nation but never stepped onto that stage himself. Goodell said his one request was that Jay-Z perform whenever it felt right to him.
Luke
Worth noting that's Goodell's account of the original deal. We have no independent detail on those negotiations or on why now.
Mark
The timing seems tied to the Los Angeles shows.
Mimi
Yes. He played two nights at the stadium last weekend, on a tour for the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt, and the announcement followed.
Luke
The reporting establishes the sequence, not a cause. It doesn't say the shows led to the booking.
Mark
What about expectations after Kendrick Lamar?
Mimi
His 2025 show was the most watched half-time show in history and won an Emmy for music direction. That is the comparison people will reach for.
Luke
Whether Jay-Z's show matches that is unknowable now. Viewing figures depend on far more than the performer.
Mark
And the Beyoncé talk?
Mimi
The NFL itself raised it, saying she will be atop the list of guesses.
Luke
That is the league teasing, not confirming. No guest has been announced, and nothing says Beyoncé is involved.
Der Puls
- Jay-Z returns to the Los Angeles stadium days after two sold-out shows, and the NFL's confirmation sends the announcement rippling across the football and music worlds.
- For years he has picked the performers from behind the scenes through Roc Nation, so stepping onto the stage himself breaks a long pattern of working unseen.
- The bar is set high by Kendrick Lamar's record-breaking 2025 half-time show, and every expectation now lands on Jay-Z's own performance.
- The NFL has opened a fresh round of speculation about guest stars, with his wife Beyoncé widely tipped, and the wait runs until the 14 February kickoff.
Thirty years after his debut album asked listeners to accept a measure of doubt, Jay-Z has been given the one stage he had long shaped from behind the scenes. The NFL has confirmed that he will headline the half-time show at Super Bowl LXI, set for 14 February near Los Angeles, marking his first time performing at the league's championship game. For years his company Roc Nation has guided who takes that stage, and now the artist who helped choose the performers steps onto it himself. The moment closes a long relationship between a musician and a sport, and it marks a quiet turn in the story of who gets to be seen at the centre of American spectacle.
The news arrived only days after Jay-Z played two shows at the stadium where Super Bowl LXI will be held. The NFL has now confirmed he will return there in February to headline the half-time show, his first appearance at the league's championship game.
The booking closes a gap in a long relationship. His company, Roc Nation, has produced the half-time show since 2019, and he has shaped each year's lineup, from Bad Bunny to Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna. Until now he had guided the show without ever standing in its spotlight.
The bar is high. Lamar's 2025 performance remains the most watched half-time show in history. Jay-Z's Los Angeles shows were part of a tour marking thirty years since his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, and he tied the two moments together in his statement: "From 'Reasonable Doubt' to standing on the Super Bowl halftime stage, this has been a journey."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he could not be more excited. When the league first agreed the deal with Roc Nation, he had made one request: that Jay-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever it felt right. That day has come. Now the league says speculation about guests will begin, with Beyoncé expected to top the list, and the wait runs until 14 February.
The announcement came just days after Jay-Z walked off a stage in Los Angeles. Last weekend he played two shows at the stadium where the Super Bowl will be held, and the NFL has now confirmed that he will return there in February to headline the half-time show. It will be his first performance at the league's championship game.
The booking closes a gap in a long relationship. His company, Roc Nation, has produced the half-time show since 2019, and he has had a key role in choosing who performs each year. Until now he has shaped the show without appearing in it himself.
Super Bowl LXI is set for 14 February at the stadium near Los Angeles. Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, joins a recent run of half-time headliners that includes Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Usher, Rihanna and The Weeknd. The half-time slot draws global attention, while the game itself is watched by tens of millions of people in the US.
The bar is high. Kendrick Lamar's 2025 performance was the most watched Super Bowl half-time show in history, and it won the Emmy award for outstanding music direction.
The two Los Angeles shows were part of a tour marking 30 years since Jay-Z's debut album, Reasonable Doubt. He tied the two moments together in his statement. "From 'Reasonable Doubt' to standing on the Super Bowl halftime stage, this has been a journey," he said. He described thirty years of music, work and culture reaching the world's biggest stage, and said the run continues to be a dream come true.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he could not be more excited for fans around the world to experience the artistry, creativity and cultural impact Jay-Z will bring. He also revealed what he had asked for when the league first agreed a deal with Roc Nation to produce the show. He had one request: that Jay-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him.
Jay-Z's accolades include being the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, winning 25 Grammy awards, and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
The NFL's own statement pointed to what comes next. Anticipation over who Jay-Z might bring on as a guest star at half-time "will now kick off", it said, adding that his wife, Beyoncé, will of course be atop the list. No guests have been announced, and the speculation will run until 14 February.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
From 'Reasonable Doubt' to standing on the Super Bowl halftime stage, this has been a journey.— Jay-Z
When we first reached an agreement 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.— Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner
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