Did Jay-Z cost Kanye West his Super Bowl moment?
Kanye West has been the reason for his downfall, be it antisemitic comments or derogative terms, among many other things. Ye once had a thriving relationship with Jay-Z as a friend and collaborator, producing much of 2001’s Blueprint album and releasing their collaborative album Watch the Throne in 2011. However, they have now grown apart, with Kanye frequently calling out Hov over his alleged actions.
In March, Kanye attacked Jay’s children using vulgar slurs, claiming they’re less advanced in mental, physical or social development than usual for their age. While admitting he regretted his words, he called out the Brooklyn rapper for picking Kendrick Lamar as a Super Bowl performer instead of him.
“I love Jay-Z and I do feel bad,” he wrote on X. “I always felt like the black sheep like I wanted family in this music shit. I’d run on stages thinking I was doing the right thing and would always be a slight. Hov not coming to my first wedding, him putting Kendrick on the Super Bowl over me or even us never being being invited to shit, taking jabs about my red hat on Donda, I felt like both him and his wife could have helped me have more leverage with my kids.”
One of the producers of the Super Bowl halftime show revealed that Jay-Z, who serves as the live music entertainment strategist through his Roc Nation company, decides on the performer. “It’s a decision that Jay makes,” Jesse Collins told Variety. “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!”
In February, Kendrick became the first solo rapper to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. Dr Dre headlined the show in 2022 but was joined by other rappers such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent and Kendrick. Despite his recent disrespect towards K. Dot, Kanye claimed he put on the best halftime show since the early ’90s.
“I really loved the show,” he said. “It was my favourite halftime show since the Michael Jackson era, which I kinda just barely remember, I just seen clips of it. It was super simple, the flag was fresh. When they did [‘Humble’], the way that people’s heads were moving, I was shook. This is super fresh. The man’s voice control, all that.”
He added, “And you know, of course, they build up the controversy whether he’s gonna do [‘Not Like Us‘]. Then, at the end, I saw people saying, ‘This is the worst halftime show.’ And I’m just like, ‘Everybody I talked to in real life said this is the best halftime show.’”
50 claimed Jay-Z tried to stop him from performing at the Super Bowl with Dre until Em stepped in. “He would do funky stuff like the Super Bowl, like it was not okay for me to be at the Super Bowl,” he said. “He didn’t want me, like they worked to make it [seem] like there was an issue with me and the NFL that doesn’t exist. [Like], ‘It’s them.’ Then Em says, ‘I’m not gonna do it if you’re not there.’”
When asked about his issues with Jay, he said, “It’s just competitive stuff. This is what I’m saying, when it gets past actual art, actual music, and you trying to block something in business, it feels weird. It feels like we should be having beef.”