Kendrick Lamar

Jay-Z has chosen himself to headline the Super Bowl halftime show.

The 25-time Grammy winner will perform at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium on Valentine’s Day, Apple Music, the NFL and Roc Nation announced during the Cowboys vs. Eagles “Monday Night Football” matchup.

This caps a banner year for Jay-Z. The rap superstar performed two back-to-back concerts at SoFi Stadium last weekend — part of his “Jay-Z 30” tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” and the 25th anniversary of “The Blueprint.” He sold out three nights at New York’s Yankee Stadium in July, followed by stops in London and Paris. He partnered with legendary music producer Rick Rubin on “Jay-Z in 8,” an eight-part documentary about his life and legacy released by HBO last month.

“From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey,” Jay-Z said in a news release. “Thirty years of music, work and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”

Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Harry Styles were reportedly also in the running, but lost out to the decision-maker himself.

Super Bowl LXI marks the eighth year that Roc Nation, the entertainment behemoth founded by Jay-Z, will produce the halftime show. The Brooklyn rapper has had the ultimate say in who the halftime performer is every year since 2020. In 2019, Roc Nation signed on to consult the NFL on live music entertainment and the social justice initiative Inspire Change, which aims to reduce barriers to opportunity, especially in underserved communities. They extended their deal in 2024 for another five years.

Roc Nation will executive-produce “The Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show” and Hamish Hamilton will serve as director.

“For several years, we’ve had the privilege of working closely with Jay-Z and Roc Nation, and I’ve seen the extraordinary impact he has had on the Super Bowl Halftime Show,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a news release. “When we first reached an agreement with Roc Nation to produce the show, I had just one request: that Jay-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him. I couldn’t be more excited for fans around the world to experience the artistry, creativity and cultural impact he will bring to the Super Bowl stage.”

Jay-Z told Entertainment Tonight in 2024 that it was too soon for him to take on the task.

“I thought it would be selfish to pick myself too early. Maybe one year. Maybe,” he said.

The NFL had approached him years prior about headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, but it came with the stipulation to perform “Run This Town” with Rihanna and Kanye West.

“Of course I would have,” Jay-Z told the New York Times in 2020, “but I said, ‘No, you get me.’ That is not how you go about it, telling someone that they’re going to do the halftime show contingent on who they bring. I said forget it. It was a principle thing.”

Rihanna eventually performed at the 2023 Super Bowl. She may be one of his guest stars come Feb. 14, but he could tap any top artist to perform, considering his label’s deep roster of talent … and the fact that he’s married to Beyoncé. Beyoncé headlined the halftime show in 2013 and made a guest appearance during Coldplay’s Super Bowl 50 set in 2016.

Bad Bunny headlined the show in February, which created an uproar and something of a culture war. “Turning Point USA, the conservative organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk, put together a so-called All-American Halftime Show featuring Kid Rock in an appeal to viewers scandalized by … the Spanish language? Dancing? The idea of fun?” Times music critic Mikael Wood wrote in his review. “For the NFL, the blowback was a calculated risk as the league makes a push to globalize its fan base.”

Before Bad Bunny, performers have included (in reverse chronological order): Kendrick Lamar; Usher; Rihanna; Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige (all together in 2022); the Weeknd; and Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (also together). Last season’s game drew almost 125 million viewers; this is one of — if not the — biggest stages in music.

The Super Bowl will air on ESPN, ABC and Disney+.

DRAKE is throwing himself a $1 million 40th birthday party in New York City, and he’s sparing no expensive, The U.S. Sun has learned.

The rapper – whose OVO record label and clothing line are a nod to his birthday month – has pulled out all the stops for his big day on Friday.

“Drake is having a massive birthday weekend in the city for his 40th,” a source told The U.S. Sun.

“He has rented out Cipriani 42nd St., which in itself is a fortune.”

It sounds like Drake is going all-out for the guests inside the iconic venuel, too.

“He has a massive, concert-level stage set up in there for special guest performances throughout the night,” the insider claimed.

And it’s not just a one-night event either.

Another insider claimed the party will continue at not-yet-open Chelsea hot spot, Lady Delilah.

Pricing for a full house at Cipriani’s 42nd St, with its capacity of 1,800 people and a cocktail-style buy-out runs approximately $1.1 million for the night.

The U.S. Sun reached out to a rep for Drake for comment.

The Canadian rapper is known for going all out for his parties.

As The U.S. Sun exclusively reported last year, a source said, “He hired out Mr Porter in Mayfair and was seen arriving around midnight,” for a monster bash after a set of London shows.

“There were loads of celebs there like Casey Affleck and Sacha Baron Cohen. Weirdly, Lily Phillips — the X-rated adult performer — was also on the guest list.

“The party went on all through the early hours of Sunday morning, with Drake finally heading home not long before 6am.

“It was a great bash and everyone who came out looked like they’d had a really good time,” the source said of the party after his set of July shows.

When he’s not throwing a rager, he’s putting out albums and digging up his ongoing beef with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar.

Earlier this year, Drake dropped three albums, and fans believe some of the tracks were taking aim at his longtime enemy Kendrick.

On the song Make Them Pay from his album Iceman, he delivered lines that listeners quickly connected to his rival.

“Damn, who is this guy for real/ I guess a magician/ 100 million streams vanished; no one got questions,” Drake rapped.