Jay-Z has reportedly picked himself to perform the Super Bowl LXI halftime show at SoFi Stadium, putting the man who books the gig on the stage himself.
New York Post reporting says the 56-year-old Brooklyn rap icon and Roc Nation founder has selected his own act for the Feb. 14, 2027, Super Bowl in Los Angeles.
Jay-Z has never headlined a Super Bowl halftime show. His entertainment company has held the keys to that decision for years.
Roc Nation reached an agreement with the NFL in 2019 to enhance live game experiences and lead social justice initiatives. In 2024, Jay-Z and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell extended that deal for another five years. That arrangement left Roc Nation as the decision-maker for Super Bowl halftime talent.
Now the decision-maker’s name is on the marquee, according to a Puck report carried in the coverage. Jay-Z has yet to address the claim.
Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber were described as in talks for the gig. In September, TMZ reported that Bieber and Harry Styles sat among Roc Nation’s frontrunner picks.
Bieber had headlined Coachella in April. Those talks did not produce the final call now being reported.
A 25-time Grammy winner with a long commercial record is an obvious draw. The process still runs through the same shop that just put its founder on the list.
Jay-Z’s wife, Beyoncé, headlined the halftime show at Super Bowl 2013 in New Orleans. She returned in 2016 in Santa Clara as a special guest alongside Bruno Mars during Coldplay’s headlining set.
The couple has three children. The family brand has already been on the Super Bowl stage. Jay-Z’s own first turn would come under the booking power his company holds with the league.
Jay-Z is fresh off a successful 2026 run of live shows. Two sold-out concerts at Yankee Stadium in July brought in $42 million. A sold-out show in Paris last month paid him $12 million, per Puck.
He is set to hit the stage for two more shows Friday and Saturday at SoFi Stadium, the same building that will host Super Bowl LXI. Coverage noted he could use those dates to address the halftime report.
His last studio album, 2017’s “4:44,” went double-platinum. He has not released a full album since.
Music executive Ray Daniels claimed on his podcast that Jay-Z’s follow-up to “4:44” was finished. Hypebeast reported Daniels saying the record was “completely done” and pending potential brand partnerships.
Roc Nation shut that down in August with an Instagram Stories message.
Roc Nation stated:
"'Album done'... Fake news"
Screen-grabs of the message circulated online. The company left no room for the rumor.
That leaves the halftime report standing on its own. Jay-Z built Roc Nation in 2008 and turned it into a major entertainment player. The NFL chose to keep that partnership in place through at least the end of the extended five-year window that began in 2024.
Under that deal, the same operation that screens talent for the league’s biggest stage has now, by this account, screened its own founder. Other artists were discussed. The reported choice was Jay-Z.
When the shop that controls the guest list puts its own name at the top, fans can judge whether that is earned swagger or plain old self-dealing.
