The NFL would prefer that its Super Bowl halftime shows be as entertaining, but innocuous, as possible. Minus one legendary Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake incident, that’s generally the way it’s been. In the earliest iterations of Super Bowl halftime shows, it was a lot of “Up With People,” who made the Osmonds look like Slayer.
So, it’s highly interesting that Rihanna was selected to be the marquee halftime performer for Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, on January 12, 2023. It’s highly interesting the NFL offered, and equally fascinating that Rihanna agreed. The show is now a partnership between the NFL, Apple Music, and Jay-Z’s ROC NATION agency.
“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn. A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment,” said Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter in the NFL’s press release.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rihanna to the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show stage,” said Seth Dudowsky, NFL Head of Music. “Rihanna is a once in a generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career. We look forward to collaborating with Rihanna, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another historic Halftime Show performance.”
“Rihanna is an incredible recording artist who is a favorite for many millions of Apple Music customers around the world,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “We’re excited to partner with Rihanna, Roc Nation and the NFL to bring music and sports fans a momentous show — what an incredible artist for the inaugural Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.”
The NFL tried to have Rihanna do just that a few years back, and she was having none of it. Why? Because as she saw it, the NFL blackballed Colin Kaepernick, and that put the league off limits.
“Absolutely,” she told Vogue in 2019. “I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
There was also the complicated matter of the NFL using/not using Rihanna’s music a few years back. From Andscape’s Justin Tinsley:
The origin of the story goes back to 2009, when Rihanna was attacked by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown during Grammy weekend in Los Angeles. Leaked images of her battered face gave new prominence to conversations about spousal and partner abuse. Five years later, domestic violence again became a topic for public analysis when TMZ released video footage on Sept. 8, 2014, of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancée, Janay Palmer, in an Atlantic City elevator in February 2014.
The footage’s release came less than a week after the NFL announced that Jay-Z and Rihanna’s “Run This Town” song would be part of its Thursday Night Football opening segment before the season opener between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. The song boasted of territorial dominance, making it an understandable choice for a football game.
But after the Rice tape was released, CBS announced it would pull “Run This Town,” which won Grammys in 2009 for best rap song and best rap/sung collaboration. Instead, the league would offer the latest developments on the Rice story.
“We thought journalistically and from a tone standpoint, we needed to have the appropriate tone and coverage,” CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said.
The entertainer was not amused (redaction ours).
The audacity…
— Rihanna (@rihanna) September 16, 2014
So, to see this announcement was… well, a bit of a surprise.
