Rapper, entrepreneur, and record executive Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter will headline the Super Bowl LXI halftime show in February 2027, the National Football League (NFL) has officially announced.
The performance at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles will mark the first time Carter, 56, takes the stage as the main act for the annual championship game, despite his entertainment company, Roc Nation, having executive produced the halftime showcase since entering into a strategic partnership with the NFL in 2019.
Next year’s Super Bowl is scheduled for 14 February 2027. The official booking comes on the heels of two sold-out stadium concerts by Carter in Los Angeles, held as part of a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of his seminal 1996 debut album, Reasonable Doubt.
Reflecting on his journey from releasing his independent debut album three decades ago to securing the world’s most-watched musical stage, the 24-time Grammy Award winner described the upcoming performance as a monumental career milestone:
“From ‘Reasonable Doubt’ to standing on the Super Bowl halftime stage, this has been a journey,” Carter 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.”
Who Is Jay-Z? From Brooklyn To Global Mainstream
For casual viewers and new audiences unfamiliar with his extensive discography, Jay-Z is one of the most commercially successful and culturally influential figures in modern music history. Emerging from Brooklyn, New York, in the mid-1990s, he built a career spanning 14 number-one albums on the Billboard 200 chart—the most by any solo artist in history.
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, his mainstream catalogue produced global chart-topping anthems including “Empire State of Mind” (featuring Alicia Keys), “99 Problems”, and “Hard Knock Life”. He has also featured on major international pop hits alongside his wife, Beyoncé, including “Crazy in Love” and “Drunk in Love”, as well as co-starring on Rihanna’s 2007 global breakthrough single “Umbrella”.
Beyond his musical career, Carter’s business enterprise extends into sports agency management, media streaming, luxury goods, and corporate investments, establishing him as a prominent figure across global entertainment and corporate leadership.
The Corporate Partnership And Halftime Legacy
The Super Bowl halftime show remains one of the most-watched live musical broadcasts globally, attracting over 100 million television viewers in the United States alone and tens of millions more on digital platforms.
In 2019, the NFL partnered with Roc Nation to oversee the league’s live music strategy and social justice entertainment initiatives. Since the partnership began, Roc Nation has curated halftime performances featuring Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, The Weeknd, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Rihanna, Usher, Kendrick Lamar, and Bad Bunny.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell noted that convincing Carter to perform personally was a long-standing objective since the corporate alliance was formed.
“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,” Goodell said in an official statement.
Addressing widespread public speculation regarding potential guest appearances, the NFL highlighted the anticipation surrounding who might join the hip-hop icon on stage in Los Angeles:
“Anticipation as to who Jay-Z might have guest star at halftime for the big game will now kick off,” the NFL stated. “Of course, his wife, Beyoncé, will be atop the list.”
Production and creative planning for the 14 February 2027 broadcast are slated to begin in late 2026.
