Hov’s heading to the West Coast. On Monday (Oct. 26), the NFL made it official, announcing Jay-Z will be headlining the Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Feb. 14, 2027.
Before the announcement, the Brooklyn rap deity was rumored to be the pick for the big game, as Puck reported Jay would be taking the stage on Oct. 20.
“FromReasonable Doubtto standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey,” Hov said in a press release. “Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”
Jigga has just about seen it all in his hall of fame career, but he’ll be helming the Super Bowl stage for the first time in 2027. Since 2019, Jay and Roc Nation have served as the league’s live music entertainment strategist, which has seen halftime shows from Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Usher, The Weeknd and Bad Bunny under his tenure, but now it’s Jay’s turn.
“For several years, we’ve had the privilege of working closely with JAŸ-Z and Roc Nation, and I’ve seen the extraordinary impact he has had on the Super Bowl Halftime Show,” added NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “When we first reached an agreement with Roc Nation to produce the show, I had just one request: that JAŸ-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him. I couldn’t be more excited for fans around the world to experience the artistry, creativity and cultural impact he will bring to the Super Bowl stage.”
Jay has been back outside throughout 2026, which set up his road to the Super Bowl. He returned to the stage at Roots Picnic in May and continued NYC’s summer of dreams with a Yankee Stadium trifecta in celebration of Reasonable Doubt‘s 30th anniversary and The Blueprint turning 25.
In the less than 24 hours since the NFL’s announcement, there’s been much debate about Jay holding fort and carrying the show as a mainly solo act or leaning on his Rolodex of starry collaborators to bolster his 15-minute set.
It’s been nearly a decade since Jay’s last solo studio album (4:44); could the Super Bowl be a launchpad for a new album as well? But first: If Hov does go the superstar guest route, here’s who we’d like to think will be joining him in Los Angeles.
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Beyoncé
Song(s): “Crazy in Love,” “Drunk in Love” & “’03 Bonnie & Clyde”
Super Bowl LXI is taking place on Valentine’s Day, and what better way for Jay and Beyoncé to celebrate their union than on the Super Bowl stage? They can go in a multitude of directions with which collaboration to perform, ranging from “Crazy in Love” to “Drunk in Love” and their first team-up, “’03 Bonnie & Clyde.” Bey filled in for Mary J. Blige’s on “Can’t Knock the Hustle” at Hov’s Yankee Stadium show, so she could stick around for that as well.
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Eminem
Song(s): “Renegade”
The pair of rap goliaths reconnected during night two of Jay-Z’s Yankee Stadium trifecta celebrating 25 years of 2001’s The Blueprint, which boasts Jay and Eminem’s intensely debated “Renegade” collaboration. There’s been a mutual respect between Hov and Em in the two decades since the clash, and they could be bringing it to the biggest stage of them all in L.A. — where Em previously popped out back in 2022, for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium.
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Ye (formerly Kanye West)
Song(s): “Run This Town” & “N—as in Paris”
This teamup has the most caution tape and hurdles around it. Between Ye’s antisemitic past and disgusting comments about Jay-Z’s children, it’s tough to envision a Watch the Throne reunion on the Super Bowl stage. Still, there’s over 25 years of history here, and Yeezy back with his big brother would undoubtedly earn the biggest pop of the night from the Los Angeles crowd and the millions watching at home. Perhaps there’s a pathway to reconciliation, if an apologetic conversation takes place between the Roc-A-Fella titans and with Ye walking a straight path for much of 2026. But while Jay did speak positively about West on his JAŸ-Z In 8 series, we’re not necessarily betting on a reunion just yet.
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Rihanna
Song(s): “Run This Town,” “Talk That Talk” & “Umbrella”
Rih and Jay go back to 2005, when Hov signed her to Def Jam, and they’ve remained close in the two decades since. While she hasn’t released an album since 2016’s Anti, Jay got Rih back outside at his Yankee Stadium show in July for “Run This Town” and “Bitch Better Have My Money.” Although she was rusty as a performer, there’s a decent chance she’s back on the Super Bowl stage with Hov, four years after she headlined the halftime show herself.
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Alicia Keys
Song(s): “Empire State of Mind”
This feels like the closest thing to a lock if anyone’s betting on halftime show props over on Kalshi or Polymarket. From the World Series stage to the Super Bowl, Alicia Keys and Jay-Z previously performed their Big Apple anthem prior to game two of the 2009 fall classic at Yankee Stadium. Hov also brought out the Grammy-winning singer at his Yankee Stadium residency over the summer, which saw her blend Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” into “Empire.” If only Hov popped out for Keys’ performance of The Blueprint 3 hit at the New York Knicks’ championship parade, they’d have collected all of the major sports Infinity Stones.
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Justin Timberlake
Song(s): “Suit & Tie” & “Holy Grail”
Justin Timberlake is a Super Bowl Halftime Show veteran, with three appearances under his belt (2001, 2004 and 2018). Hov bringing JT out for the glossy “Holy Grail” would placate America’s mainstream that lives outside the hip-hop bubble, but it’s also a move that could make his die-hard fans shiver in their Yankee fitteds and Timberland boots.
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Linkin Park
Song(s): “Numb / Encore”
A Jay-Z and Linkin Park reunion is the type of unexpected crossover that would play well at the Super Bowl, meshing the worlds of hip-hop and rock. Pulling from their 2004 Collision Course EP is a millennial dream, being transported to the days of CD and MP3 players. Linkin Park wrapped up their global From Zero World Tour in Europe in June, with Emily Armstrong serving as a lead vocalist on the road for the first time, taking the place of the late Chester Bennington.
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Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
Song(s): “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang,” “California Love” & “The Next Episode”
With the Super Bowl back in Los Angeles, it’s only right that Hov brings out a pair of West Coast rap luminaries. Snoop and Dre joined Jay for his SoFi Stadium show over the weekend, which marked a rare on-stage appearance from the super producer, as they serenaded the L.A. crowd with “Nuthin But a ‘G’ Thang” and “California Love.” Of course, the former Death Row running mates headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2022 at SoFi.
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Bun B
Song(s): “Big Pimpin’”
Jay-Z and UGK teaming up for “Big Pimpin’” in 2000 served as a landmark collaboration with a rare clash of East Coast and Southern rap titans, which spawned a top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hit. The flute melody courtesy of Timbaland on the production side has become one of the most recognizable instrumentals in Hov’s discography. While Pimp C is no longer here, having Bun B on the Super Bowl stage still allows Tony Snow’s legacy to live on.
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Mary J. Blige
Song(s): “Can’t Knock the Hustle”
While Mary J. Blige missed out on performing the Reasonable Doubt opener at Jay’s Yankee Stadium trifecta, which saw Beyoncé admirably fill in for the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, the Super Bowl stage provides Mary with another chance to reunite with Hov. She previously performed at the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show in Los Angeles, which featured Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar.