JAY-Z Decides On Super Bowl Halftime Performer According To Emmy-Winning Producer
JAY-Z has the final say when it comes to the selection process for the Super Bowl Halftime performer, according to Emmy Award-winning producer Jesse Collins.
On Monday (September 16), Collins spoke to Variety about the daunting schedule he and his production company have taken on in conjunction with the upcoming show in February 2025, which features headliner Kendrick Lamar.
While Collins spoke on a range of topics concerning the vigorous activity he’s overseeing at his eponymous production company, it appears as though a large amount of focus has been diverted to his remarks about working with JAY-Z and Roc Nation. Along with seemingly confirming that Hov is the sole individual who makes the call when it comes to who gets to perform at the Super Bowl, Collins noted that’s been the standard from the start.
“It’s a decision that Jay makes,” Jesse Collins said when asked about the selection process of the halftime performers each year. “Since we’ve been on board with that show, he’s made it every year, and it’s been amazing. He’s always picked right!”
Roc Nation started its partnership with the NFL in August 2019 and began reshaping the production of the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2020. Though Roc Nation tenure, thus far, has been widely celebrated, countless fans and artists such as Nicki Minaj, Birdman, Juvenile, Fat Joe, Fabolous and more have spoken out in the weeks since Kendrick Lamar announced he was headlining the upcoming the Super Bowl in New Orleans over hometown rap hero Lil Wayne.
While Collins did address the backlash the NFL, Roc Nation and JAY-Z have received since announcing the halftime headliner, he appeared to double down on his support for Kendrick Lamar as the best artist to take on the task.
“We love Wayne [Lil Wayne],” Collins says. “There’s always Vegas odds on who’s going to get to perform it. But I think we’re going to do an amazing show with Kendrick, and I think everybody’s going to love the halftime show. I know Kendrick is going to work exceptionally hard to deliver an amazing show.”
In addition to breaking the news his team will be responsible for several major productions including the revival of Netflix’s Rhythm & Flow in November and the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Las Vegas in October, Collins revealed production for the Super Bowl is already well on its way. In fact, Collins and his team are set to connect with Kendrick’s camp in New Orleans in the coming days despite the fact that they literally just wrapped production of the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 15 prior to the air date of the exclusive.
“It’s our first time with the artist team,” Jesse Collins Entertainment personnel Dionne Harmon said. “We’ve actually been a few times already in preparation, but since the announcement, it’s the first time Kendrick’s team and us will all come together.”
Collins won an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Variety Special (live) category following the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show in 2022 featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent.