The Super Bowl Halftime Show is generally the most-watched concert of the year. That hasn’t changed a bit since Jay-Z was added as the NFL’s live music entertainment strategist in 2019.
In fact, the last handful of Super Bowl Halftime performances have been some of the best of all time.
But which of Jay-Z’s five (so far) handpicked Super Bowl performers have been the best? Keep scrolling to find out.
It may be tough to remember, but interest in the NFL was declining following Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during games to protest police brutality in 2016. In 2019 the NFL and Jay-Z announced a new partnership that coincided with the league’s newly constructed Inspire Change initiative.
In October 2024, the NFL extended Jay-Z and Roc Nation’s involvement for several years to come.
In just under a week Hip Hop’s hottest artist Kendrick Lamar will take center stage at the Super Bowl for the second time in three years. This go round, however, he’s doing it on the heels of his high-profile rap battle with Drake. Some are wondering if he’ll perform his hit song Not Like Us considering the legal pressure from his nemesis.
Here’s a ranked list (according to live viewers) of all five Super Bowl performances since Jay-Z took over for the NFL.
5. 2021 – The Weeknd – 100.8 million viewers
Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
It may come as a surprise, but Super Bowl halftime performers don’t get paid their going rate to perform at the Super Bowl. Production costs are obviously covered by the NFL and the artist’s labels, but the rest of their money is made up by the exposure of playing on the world’s biggest stage. With this in mind, The Weeknd still shelled out $7 million of his own money to put on the show he envisioned.
4. 2022 – Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar – 112 million viewers
Source: Cooper Neill / Getty
The 2022 Super Bowl was in Los Angeles, so hip-hop’s undeniable king of the West Coast handpicked a Hip Hop and R&B show for the ages. This show was a shining moment for rap music and included a 50 Cent feature that also gifted us an upside-down meme we won’t soon forget.
3. 2020 – Shakira and Jennifer Lopez – 117.3 million viewers
Source: Focus On Sport / Getty
Roc Nation’s first choice in the 2020 Super Bowl included two of the most popular women in music – Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Special guests included Bad Bunny and J Balvin.
It’s also worth noting that J Lo was on record for saying that co-headlining that performance was the “worst idea in the world”. Either way, they got through it together and put on a great performance.
2. 2023 – Rihanna – 121 million viewers
Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
Rihanna rocked her 2023 Super Bowl performance without any special guests… sort of. This performance was visually stunning, and probably the greatest pregnancy reveal ever done on planet Earth.
1. 2024 – Usher – 129 million viewers
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty
The most live-viewed Super Bowl performance in the Jay-Z era belongs to none other than Usher Raymond. This is perhaps the show with the most viral moments – remember his steamy set with Alicia Keys? – and Usher definitely has the catalog to rock in front of the entire world.
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