Jay-Z: Will He Ever Headline The Super Bowl Halftime Show?

Jay-Z finally answers the question fans have been waiting to hear: will he ever step foot on the Super Bowl stage? The Roc Nation founder is currently in a multi-year deal with the NFL to produce entertainment for events for the organization, including the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The billionaire inked the deal in August 2019. Part of the deal entails him selecting artists for the show. So far, he's had Shakira and Jennifer Lopez in 2020, The Weeknd in 2021, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent for 2022, Rihanna in 2023. Usher will headline this year.

During the red carpet for The Book Of Clarence over the weekend, the rap mogul was asked if he would ever entertain the thought of performing at the Super Bowl in the future.

"I don’t know," he told Entertainment Tonight. "I thought it would be selfish to pick myself too early. Maybe one year. Maybe."

In the past, Jay-Z has previously declined to perform at the Super Bowl in 2017. He has also called out the organization for how they handled former San Francisco's QB Colin Kaepernick taking a knee for racial injustice. He mentioned it in the song "Apes---" with Beyoncé.

"I said no to the Super Bowl: you need me, I don't need you. Every night we in the endzone, tell the NFL we in stadiums too," he rapped. Obviously, things changed since then, resulting in Jay's deal with the NFL.

As for the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime next month, Jay-Z had some nice words for Usher saying that he is in his "rightful place" and that the R&B legend is one of the "greatest performers we’ve seen in our time."

"Usher is the ultimate artist and showman," Jay-Z previously said in a press release. "Ever since his debut at the age of 15, he's been charting his own unique course. Beyond his flawless singing and exceptional choreography, Usher bares his soul. His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can't wait to see the magic."

Usher has wanted this opportunity for quite some time and is thankful for the gig.

"It's an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list," Usher said in a press release. "I can't wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they've seen from me before. Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I'll see you real soon."

The Super Bowl LVIII will take place in Las Vegas on Feb. 11.

R&B legend Usher will be playing the Halftime show at next year's Super Bowl! It was announced on Sunday (Sept. 24), that Usher will be performing at the 2024 Super Bowl, something that the superstar has wanted for quite some time.

"It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before,” Usher said in a statement on Sunday, adding, "Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I’ll see you real soon."

Jay-Z, who signed a multi-year partnership with the NFL through his label Roc Nation, praised Usher's longstanding legacy in the music industry.

"Usher is the ultimate artist and showman. Ever since his debut at the age of 15, he's been charting his own unique course. Beyond his flawless singing and exceptional choreography, Usher bares his soul," said JAY-Z. “His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can't wait to see the magic."

The 2024 Super Bowl will be in Las Vegas where Usher has performed for over a year. He extended his performances one last time. Twelve new shows have been added: Nov. 3-4, 7-8, 10-11, 22, 24-25, 29 and Dec. 1-2. Additionally, he will take his show to Paris from the end of September through early October.

In addition to the Super Bowl announcement, Usher will release his new album Coming Home. The LP will be released on the same day as the Super Bowl, Feb. 11, 2024.

This year Rihanna took the stage and made history as the most-watched Super Bowl performance Rihanna's total views during her performance were 121 million, which beat the record held by Katy Perry in 2015 with 118 million views. Perry brought out Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott during her performance, while Rihanna did the show solo.

While Usher is known for his solo efforts, we wouldn't be upset if he brought out some of his celebrity friends on stage with him. Take a look below at some artists we believe would make great additions to the show:

After Usher played an April Fool's joke during his Dreamvile concert performance, he certainly owes his fans to bring Beyoncé out. The superstars only have one song together which is "Love In This Club Part II." However, they had very memorable performance for Usher's Live From Puerto Rico concert special back in 2005. Beyoncé stayed on stage for Usher's performance of "Bad Girl" and fans would not mind if they decided to have a repeat performance. Take a look at the throwback moment here. She headlined one of the best Halftime shows ever, in 2013. In 2016, she stole the show when she guested with Coldplay.

Alicia Keys and Usher did not beat dating allegations after they dropped "My Boo." While they didn't date in real life, it is definitely fans' top features for both artists. The duet by the R&B powerhouses was released in 2004 and served as the fourth single on Usher's Confessions album. We hope that Alicia's invitation to the Super Bowl stage is already out there.

We'd love if Usher, Jon, and Luda could do it again -- and this time at the Super Bowl. Usher has two hits with both artists including "Lovers and Friends" and "Yeah." Both songs are high energy compared to Usher's soulful R&B tunes which would be a great overall vibe to his show.

If Usher really wants everybody up and out of their seats he definitely needs to send an invite over to Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am. The two made "OMG" in 2010 which served as the fourth single on Usher's album Raymond v. Raymond. The song is a part of Usher's "EDM era" which was a popular sound in the 2010s. Fans responded well to Usher's "OMG" which gave the legend his ninth No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

To "usher" in his new era, the singer should invite 21 Savage and Summer Walker on stage. Both artists are on his song "Good Good" which will be on his new album Coming Home. The LP will be released on the same day as the Super Bowl which is February 11.