Jay-Z to headline Super Bowl halftime show at SoFi Stadium
The rapper will perform on February 14 in Inglewood, California, after partnering with the NFL on production since 2019.
By Carlos Rivera ·
Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl halftime show on February 14, 2026, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The announcement was made Monday night by the NFL, Apple Music, and Roc Nation.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that he asked Jay-Z to perform himself when the league first reached an agreement with Roc Nation. Goodell said he wanted Jay-Z to take the stage whenever the moment felt right to him. Jay-Z said in a statement that the performance marks thirty years of music, work, and culture. He described the run as a dream come true.
Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, has won 25 Grammy Awards and received 89 nominations. He is the second most nominated artist in history, behind his wife, Beyoncé. Beyoncé has performed at two Super Bowls. Jay-Z’s catalog includes albums such as The Blueprint and The Black Album, as well as hit songs like 99 Problems and Empire State of Mind.
Roc Nation has partnered with the NFL since 2019 to advise on and produce the league’s entertainment presentations. At the start of that partnership, Jay-Z told Goodell that if the deal was about him performing at the Super Bowl, they could end the conversation. Seven years later, he is set to perform.
The announcement follows a recent tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of Jay-Z’s 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt. The tour included three sold-out shows at Yankee Stadium and sold-out performances in London and Paris. It concluded over the weekend with shows at SoFi Stadium. During the SoFi Stadium concerts, guests included his daughter Blue Ivy, Scarface, John Legend, DJ Khaled, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Too $hort. Earlier in the tour, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Eminem, and Nas joined him at Yankee Stadium.
Reasonable Doubt was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame last year. Jay-Z became the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017. He joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and is a four-time Emmy winner. He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and founded Roc Nation in 2008.
Roc Nation will executive produce the halftime show, with Hamish Hamilton serving as director. The show has won Emmys in recent years. Bad Bunny’s performance in February won a record seven awards, while Kendrick Lamar’s show last year won for music direction.
Source: WCLK · original report published
