Yep It’s True, Rihanna Turned Down Last Year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show
Rihanna opened up in a new interview for Vogue‘s November cover story about turning down last year’s Super Bowl Halftime over disagreements with the NFL.
The singer didn’t hide the fact that she “absolutely” denied performing in solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who’d been taking a knee during the national anthems in protest of police brutality among men and women of color.
“I couldn’t dare do that,” she said about the show. “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.”
These days, JAY-Z has teamed up with the NFL to advise as a live music entertainment strategist. The rapper’s entertainment and sports company Roc Nation, which is also Rihanna’s record label, will consult the NFL on live events like the Super Bowl halftime show.
Perhaps the NFL will be looking different in the next few years? One thing is for sure, though. Rihanna will definitely go down in history for this.