JAY-Z Unsure Whether He'll Headline A Super Bowl Halftime Show, Discusses Racist History Of "Cowboy"

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Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams v Cincinnati Bengals
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 13: Rapper Jay-Z looks on from the field before Super Bowl LVI between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

JAY-Z didn't want to pick himself for the Super Bowl too early.

JAY-Z says he's unsure whether he'll headline a future Super Bowl Halftime Show and that selecting himself to do so too early would have been "selfish." He addressed the idea of taking the main stage during an interview with Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet of the premiere of The Book of Clarence.

“I don’t know,” JAY-Z said. “I thought it would be selfish to pick myself too early, so maybe one year.” He also praised Usher, who will be performing at the game, next month. “He’s one of the greatest performers that we’ve seen in our time,” he said. “I think he’ll take his rightful place.”

Read More: JAY-Z Wins Emmy For Co-Directing Rihanna‘s Super Bowl Halftime Show

JAY-Z Attends Super Bowl LVII

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 12: Jay-Z attends Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

JAY previously revealed that he rejected an offer to perform at the Super Bowl during an interview with The New York Times in 2021. He explained that the NFL only gave him the opportunity on the guarantee that he'd bring Kanye West and Rihanna up to perform "Run This Town." He said: “Of course I would have. But I said, ‘No, you get me.’ That is not how you go about it, telling someone that they’re going to do the halftime show contingent on who they bring. I said forget it. It was a principle thing.”

JAY-Z On Whether He'll Perform At The Super Bowl

Elsewhere at The Book of Clarence premiere, JAY discussed the history of the term "Cowboy." He said: "I believe the term 'cowboy' was created as a slur for Black people. I think that's where the term comes from. In my research of history, it was a slur, and obviously like most things, we made it look so good they was like, 'give that back.'" Be on the lookout for further updates on JAY-Z and the Super Bowl Halftime Show on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Jay-Z Nominated For An Emmy For Superbowl Halftime Show

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About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.