Jay-Z to trade producer seat for stage in 2027 Super Bowl halftime performance
The rapper will headline the Feb. 14 show at SoFi Stadium, ending a seven-year period of speculation following his initial refusal to perform.
By Elise Bennett ·
Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The NFL, Apple Music, and Roc Nation announced the decision on Monday night. This marks the rapper's first time leading the event, shifting his role from behind-the-scenes producer to front-and-center performer.
The announcement followed several days of industry speculation. Jay-Z recently closed his "Jay-Z 30" concert tour in Southern California. The tour sequence began with three performances at Yankee Stadium in New York, moved to London, and concluded at the same stadium where he is now scheduled to perform in the Super Bowl.
Roc Nation has advised and helped produce the NFL's entertainment presentations since 2019. In 2019, Jay-Z told NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, "If this is about me performing at the Super Bowl, then we can just end this conversation now." Seven years later, the partnership has resulted in his confirmation for the 2027 show.
The announcement included a short video featuring Jay-Z sitting in SoFi Stadium surrounded by goats. The video carried the caption "GOAT's out of the bag," a reference to the term for the greatest of all time. This follows a recent trend of high-profile musical acts headlining the event, including Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weeknd.
Born Shawn Carter, Jay-Z has won 25 Grammy Awards and received 89 nominations, the second-most in history behind his wife, Beyoncé. His discography includes "Reasonable Doubt," "The Blueprint," and "The Black Album." His 1996 debut album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2025.
Beyond music, Jay-Z co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and founded Roc Nation in 2008. The company now operates in music publishing, artist management, and sports. He became the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017 and joined the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.
The source notes that following a recent Super Bowl performance, a Puerto Rican artist held the top six spots on Spotify's Top 50 U.S. chart the next morning, with another song at No. 8. Eleven other songs from that artist ranked in the top 50 at the time.
Source: CBS News
