The exciting news was announced during Monday Night Football on Oct. 26 with a black-and-white ad featuring the “Empire State of Mind” rapper.The exciting news was announced during Monday Night Football on Oct. 26 with a black-and-white ad featuring the “Empire State of Mind” rapper.
Get excited, Jay-Z fans!
The “Empire State of Mind” rapper will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show, set to kick off Sunday, Feb. 14, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The exciting news was announced during Monday Night Football on Oct. 26 with a black-and-white ad featuring Jay-Z following a week of rampant rumors that he’d chosen himself for the honor.
“GOAT’S OUT OF THE BAG,” an on-screen message read as the music mogul’s “Public Service Announcement” played.
“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.”
Jay-Zwill follow Bad Bunny’s 2026 halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The reggaeton superstar’s performance celebrated his native Puerto Rico and featured a celebrity-packed lineup of special guests, including Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, Cardi B, Karol G, Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, Alix Earle and more joining him on the field.
During a pre-show press conference, Bad Bunny (real name: Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) teased what fans could expect from his time taking the stage.
He also shouted out the person who supported him before the “world knew his name”: his mom, Lysaurie Ocasio.
“My mom because she believed in me, and I’m not talking about my music career, I’m just talking about before everything,” the “Tití Me Preguntó” singer said at the time, while tearing up.
“She believed in me as a person, as a human. She believed in me that in my decisions, in my opinions, in my taste, in my choices, she believes in me as a person, smart guy, talented, and I think that’s what got me here, you know?”
The last time the Super Bowl was played at SoFi Stadium was in 2022, when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20.
The halftime show featured a legendary lineup of hip-hop artists, including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. The performance marked the first time in Super Bowl history where a halftime show focused entirely around hip-hop music.
Other headline performers in recent years have included everyone from Usher (2024), Rihanna (2023), The Weeknd (2021) and Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (2020).
