LOS ANGELES — The man who has helped produce the Super Bowl halftime show is stepping into the spotlight: Jay-Z will headline the show himself. The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Monday night that Jay-Z will be the featured performer for the halftime festivities on Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. After days of speculation, Jay-Z is set to return to the stadium where he closed his “Jay-Z 30” concerts over the weekend. The run began with three shows at Yankee Stadium in New York, continued in London and ended in Southern California. Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has partnered with the NFL since 2019 to advise on and help produce the league’s entertainment presentations, including the Super Bowl halftime show. At the time, Jay-Z said he had 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, Jay-Z is ready to perform after all. Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, has won 25 Grammy Awards and received 89 nominations, the second-most in history behind his wife, Beyoncé — who has performed at two Super Bowls. His catalog includes the albums “Reasonable Doubt,” “The Blueprint” and “The Black Album,” and hit songs such as “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem),” “99 Problems” and “Empire State of Mind,” his collaboration with Alicia Keys. His 1996 debut, “Reasonable Doubt,” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame last year. Jay-Z’s career has extended into music publishing, artist management and sports. He co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and founded Roc Nation in 2008, building it into an entertainment company that works with artists and athletes. Jay-Z became the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017 and joined the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. Bad Bunny performed at last season’s Super Bowl in February. His songs had sharp gains across streaming charts, playlists and music discovery platforms in the hours following the show. Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press
