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The man who has helped produce the Super Bowl halftime show is stepping up: Jay-Z will headline next year's show.
The NFL, Apple Music, and Roc Nation announced late Monday that Jay-Z will be the headline artist for the February 14 halftime festivities at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recounted that when the league first reached an agreement with Roc Nation, there was one request: that Jay-Z take the stage "when the moment felt right to him."
"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."
After days of speculation, Jay-Z will return to the stadium where he closed his 30th-anniversary celebration of "Reasonable Doubt," the mogul's 1996 debut album. The concerts included three sold-out shows at Yankee Stadium and sold-out performances in London and Paris before a stop at SoFi Stadium over the weekend.
Roc Nation, Jay-Z's company, has partnered with the NFL since 2019 to advise and help produce the league's entertainment presentations, including the Super Bowl halftime show. At the time, Jay-Z commented that he had told Goodell: "If this is about me performing at the Super Bowl, then we can end this conversation right now."
Seven years later, Jay-Z is ready to perform.
Jay-Z, whose birth name is Shawn Carter, has won 25 Grammy Awards and received 89 nominations, the second-highest total in history behind his wife, Beyoncé—who has performed at two Super Bowls. His catalog also includes the albums "The Blueprint" and "The Black Album," and hits like "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)," "99 Problems," and "Empire State of Mind," his collaboration with Alicia Keys.
Last year, "Reasonable Doubt" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
His recent concerts featured a rotating cast of guests. At SoFi Stadium, his daughter Blue Ivy played piano on "The Story of O.J." and "Dead Presidents," while Scarface, John Legend, and DJ Khaled joined him on opening night. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Too $hort appeared during Saturday's finale.
Beyoncé, Rihanna, Eminem, and Nas were among the guests at Yankee Stadium.
Jay-Z has built a career as an executive and businessman. The Brooklyn rapper co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and founded Roc Nation in 2008, turning it into an entertainment company that works with artists and athletes.
In 2017, Jay-Z became the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and joined the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. He is also a four-time Emmy Award winner.
Roc Nation will executive produce the halftime show, with Hamish Hamilton serving as director.
The halftime show has garnered Emmy Awards in recent years. Usher's performance in February won a record seven, including Outstanding Variety Special (Live), while Kendrick Lamar's show last year won for music direction.
[Publicidad]