Jay-Z runs the show for the Super Bowl’s starry halftime shows. This time, he has reportedly chosen himself for the show, which is not sitting well with some.
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“Nobody want to see Jay-Z perform at the Super Bowl. They don’t,” Houshmandzadeh said on PREGAME: A Speakeasy Show. “They don’t want to see Jay-Z perform. Like, why would he do this? Nobody want to see Jay-Z be the halftime performer. The Super Bowl ain’t in New York. It’s in LA. Figure it out. That’s your job.
“Find somebody that’s locally connected to this community and/or bring somebody. You’re trying to grow the game internationally. Why don’t you just have a collection of international performers do it then? … Seven minutes, three performers, 21 minutes. Let’s go.”
Last season, Bad Bunny took the halftime stage, while Kendrick Lamar headlined the 2025 show. But this time, according to Puck’s Dave Brooks, Jay-Z has “picked” himself to headline the show, instead of Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus, who were both “considered” for Super Bowl LXI.
Houshmandzadeh claimed that people have already heard all of Jay-Z’s songs. For him, two of Jay-Z’s albums are worthy of being on repeat – Reasonable Doubt, and The Blueprint.
“You mean to tell me Jay-Z couldn’t find nobody better than himself?” the former NFL wide receiver lashed out. “Jay-Z is an icon. He ain’t today. Like, what song Jay-Z gonna perform that’s going to have the audience in the Super Bowl and the audience that’s watching on television get hyped for? What song are they going to look forward to hearing?”
The famed rapper and founder of Roc Nation has been in an agreement with the NFL to produce the halftime show since 2019 for $5 million a year. In 2024, the league extended the deal for another five years. In all these years, Jay-Z has not performed for the much-awaited halftime show.
This year, Jay-Z might have an argument. The artist is currently on tour for his Jay-Z 30 tour, which commemorates 30 years of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. It is also his first solo tour in nine years, and he’s been quite the crowd-puller.
According to Puck, Jay-Z grossed more than $42 million for the three consecutive shows held at Yankee Stadium in July. His two upcoming shows scheduled at the SoFi Stadium, which will host the Super Bowl, should also be expected to do well. He’s also had a starry lineup of supporting artists in his tour, like Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams.
But Houshmandzadeh argued that bringing in artists who have the most fan following in Los Angeles would do better for the halftime show than having Jay-Z perform. Roc Nation could perhaps consider Drake or Taylor Swift to bring in a massive crowd and raise the numbers for the halftime show.
Both would have their own relevance to the show as well. Lamar threw shade on Drake when he took the stage, and Swift, now married to Travis Kelce, also brings in a very interesting overlap. When the Chiefs made the Super Bowl, she was rumored to be performing at halftime.
Using his $5 million-a-year executive role to reportedly sideline global powerhouses has understandably sparked skepticism around Jay-Z’s potentially debuting at the halftime show. But until the NFL and Roc Nation make an official announcement, the debate cannot end.