Super Bowl LXI: Jay-Z Picks Himself to Headline Halftime Show

Jay-Z will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI halftime show in Los Angeles, a pick made by his own company, Roc Nation, according to OutKick. The selection has drawn a column from Fox News Outkick writer Armando Salguero raising questions about profanity in Jay-Z's music ahead of the NFL's biggest broadcast of the year.

Who picked Jay-Z for the Super Bowl LXI halftime show?

Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by Jay-Z, selected Jay-Z to headline the show, Outkick reported Oct. 27. The outlet's headline framed the choice as self-selection: Jay-Z, through his own company, named himself the performer for one of the most-watched television events in the country.

What does the OutKick column say about profanity concerns?

Salguero wrote that the self-selection is not the central issue. "Jay-Z selecting himself to be the headliner of the Super Bowl LXI halftime show isn't the biggest issue we should all have with this production..." he wrote, according to Outkick. The column's headline argues the show carries "more than 99 vulgarity and profanity problems for the NFL," a reference to the volume of lyrical content the writer flags as a concern for a league broadcast that reaches a mass audience, including children.

Where and when is Super Bowl LXI?

Super Bowl LXI is scheduled to be played in Los Angeles, according to Outkick's report. The game marks the 61st Super Bowl, denoted by its Roman numeral designation. Apple Music is listed as the sponsor of the halftime show in the Fox News report.

At a glance

• LXI — the Roman numeral marking Super Bowl LXI, the 61st edition of the game.
• 99 — the number used in Outkick's headline to describe the scope of vulgarity and profanity concerns tied to the selection.

Has the NFL responded to the profanity question?

Outkick's report does not include a statement from the NFL or from Roc Nation addressing the profanity concerns raised in the column. No league response is included in the available reporting.

What is the larger issue, according to the column?

Salguero's framing treats the self-selection by Jay-Z's company as a secondary point. The larger question raised in the piece is the NFL's comfort with profane content inside a production it sanctions and broadcasts during its highest-rated event. The column does not cite a league policy on halftime-show lyrical content, and no such policy is referenced in the available source material.

The Super Bowl halftime show has featured Roc Nation as a partner in artist selection in recent years, per Outkick's framing of Jay-Z's role, though the report does not detail the full selection process beyond identifying Roc Nation and Jay-Z as the decision-makers. Readers following the lead-up to Super Bowl LXI can expect further details on the broadcast, sponsorship and performance lineup as the NFL and Apple Music release additional information closer to the game.

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