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TV producer Jesse Collins said there was some pressure following last year’s epic, Emmy-winning Super Bowl halftime show with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and more, but working with Rihanna made the process easy.
“She’s a lot of fun, very cool, never stressed. Just like, ‘All right, I’m going to go do this real quick.’ The pressure never got to her. She just was in it from day one, and really warm and let everybody have fun with it,” Collins told The Hollywood Reporter moments after Rihanna blazed the stage Sunday at the State Farm Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
“I think there’s always pressure with this show,” added Collins, who also produced The Weeknd’s 2021 halftime show. “You work so hard, six months for 13 minutes. [This was] an opportunity to work with a global superstar and her re-entry into music.”
Rihanna last performed live at the 2018 Grammy Awards. Before that, she was on the road promoting her album Anti, released in 2016.
Collins won the outstanding variety show (live) Emmy for last year’s halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Jay-Z, who also produced the spectacle. He has also produced the Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, Golden Globes, BET Awards, American Music Awards and more.
Rihanna’s performance — where she announced she was pregnant — was exciting and energetic, and she sang a number of her popular hits, including “Work,” “Diamonds” and “Umbrella.”
“I just feel great,” he said of Rihanna’s show. “I feel like her vision was executed. She shocked the world and the Navy’s [Rihanna’s fans] happy, and I’m just glad we got another great one in the books.
“We couldn’t have a massive stage on the field because of the grass and so they put it in the air and it was just brilliant,” he added. “It was just a great idea of where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
In a report out Monday (Feb. 13), the Anti-Defamation League chronicles 30 antisemitic incidents over the past several months that the group said directly referenced a string of hateful, anti-Jewish comments made by disgraced rapper Kanye West.
“These incidents — which include vandalism, banner drops, targeted harassment and campus propaganda distributions — demonstrate the ongoing influence of Ye’s conspiratorial, bigoted rants,” read the report from the nation’s oldest anti-hate organization. The report includes a lengthy list of episodes that took place across the country during, or in the wake of, West’s monthslong spree of interviews and statements amplifying antisemitic stereotypes and hate speech.
“Immediately following Ye’s antisemitic comments, which included inflammatory tropes about Jewish power and Holocaust denial, the slogan ‘Ye Is Right’ surfaced online in hashtags and antisemitic accounts,” read the ADL’s report. “The ADL Center on Extremism has also tracked references to ‘Ye Is Right’ in instances of on-the-ground antisemitic vandalism and harassment nationwide.”
And while the ADL said only some of the incidents were perpetrated by people who are known extremists, they demonstrate how references to the rapper (who now goes by Ye) were often paired with swastikas or other antisemitic slurs “[and]have become mainstream shorthand for the hatred of — or a desire to commit violence against – Jewish people.”
“Kanye West’s repeated antisemitic remarks – and his dredging up some of the worst anti-Jewish tropes imaginable – doubtlessly are having an impact and inspiring people to commit real-world acts of hate,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO in a statement to Billboard. “As we have long maintained, celebrities and others who engage in spreading hateful tropes need to know their words have consequences. Unfortunately, Kanye’s decision to continue to peddle hatred against Jews is only giving encouragement to people who are already infected with hate.”
At press time, Billboard was unable to reach a spokesperson for Ye. In the wake of his public outbursts, the rapper has since been dropped by his record label, publicists, lawyers, fashion collaborators and brand partners in one of the swiftest, most thorough downfalls of a major pop-culture figure in recent memory.
In January, Billboard spoke to a number of experts about the whether Ye’s offensive rhetoric signaled a potential rising wave of hate and intolerance in the nation. A number suggested that they have helped to normalize the spreading of such hate speech by mainstream media personalities.
Among the events the ADL lists as being inspired by Ye’s comments:
A January “Yes is right, change my mind” series of college campus gatherings by the white supremacist Groypers organization during which extremists peddled “Holocaust denial and praise Hitler, all under the auspices of defending Ye’s antisemitic comments and outbursts.” The ADL said the events were part of a “road trip” largely organized by Groypers Tyler Russell and Dalton Clodfelter — known for their antisemitic and white supremacist rhetoric — during which they claimed the ADL were “trying to take away” people’s bank accounts and stifling free speech.
Ye’s outbursts coincided with Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter in late October, with the ADL noting an increase in antisemitic posts on the platform and a decrease in moderation of such posts. The group reported that since Oct. 1, 2022, there have been more than 9,400 Twitter mentions using, or referencing, the “Ye Is Right” slogan; those posts reached five million users, spawning 19,300 likes and more than 5,000 retweets.
A long string of antisemitic incidents — including vandalism and harassment — at K-12 schools, colleges and universities, Jewish institutions, public areas and commercial locations. A list of a dozen incidents from Oct. 11 to Dec. 23 in Wisconsin, California, Florida, New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, North Carolina and Texas included someone scrawling “Kanye was right” and “Defcon III” on a sidewalk on the University of Wisconsin campus; the phrases “Kanye West is right” and “Kill All Jews” along with a three swastikas written on the wall of a high school bathroom; the phrase “Blacks are the real Jews!” and “Kanye is Right” on the welcome sign at a Bronx Orthodox synagogue; the phrase “I stand with Ye & Kyrie” on a wall of thanks at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; a swastika and “I love Kanye” drawn in chalk at a high school by a student in West Palm Beach.
Ye’s comments have also resulted in a number of people and organizations being harassed. Among the ones chronicled by the ADL: antisemitic phone calls and email received by the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust after it offered Ye a tour to learn about hate speech; a Jewish-owned restaurant in Los Angeles getting a call asking for “the Kanye special” before saying “death to all the Jews”; an alleged assault on an elderly Jewish man in New York’s Central Park by a 32-year-old man who yelled, “F–k you, Jew!” and “Kanye 2024“; the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh received a call from an unknown individual identifying themselves as West who said, “I hate all Jewish people. All of them must burn and die. I love Hitler. I love Hitler.”
The embrace of Ye’s rhetoric by a number of known extremist and antisemitic groups who’ve leveraged “his comments to further their own agendas and promote antisemitic claims and conspiracy theories.” Among the examples were a series of incidents in which the Goyim Defense League, along with White Lives Matter and the NatSoc Florida, dropped antisemitic banners supporting Ye in California, New York and Florida, as well as a widely reported incident in which a laser projector was used to beam antisemitic messages onto buildings at TIAA Bank Field after the Georgia/Florida football game in Jacksonville, including one that read “Kanye is right about the Jews.”
*Editor’s Note: After an Oct. 8, 2022, tweet in which he announced he was going “death con [sic] 3 on Jewish people,” Kanye West (Ye) has repeatedly doubled down on antisemitic hate speech, even going so far as to praise Hitler, a man responsible for the systematic murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. This arrives at a troubling time when antisemitism is on the rise, with the Anti-Defamation League noting a 34% year-over-year increase in antisemitic incidents (assault, harassment and vandalism) in America in 2021. Many companies have cut business ties with the rapper/fashion designer, while numerous musicians, friends and politicians have condemned his comments.
Post Malone has found out the hard way that facial tattoos don’t always open doors.
During a visit to Australia’s west coast on the weekend, Posty was reportedly denied access to QT Perth’s rooftop bar because his ample ink apparently didn’t meet the venue’s dress standards.
“They turned me away for my tattoos,” the “Rockstar” singer told The West Australian. “I’ve never really experienced anything like that.”
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The venue’s dress code prohibits “face, neck, and offensive tattoos” – the first two of which Posty has in abundance.
The 5-star QT hotel has since apologized for sending the rap star packing.
“At QT, we aim to welcome everyone and celebrate the uniqueness of each individual. QT has been recognized for this for many years,” reads a statement issued to Daily Mail Australia.
“However, on Saturday night, our third-party security did not exercise the appropriate discretion and we take full responsibility for this. We sincerely apologize to the individuals affected.”
Malone’s night wasn’t ruined.
After he was rejected, Malone headed to the nearby 18 Knots rooftop bar, and spent his time mingling with fans and even buying them drinks, the newspaper reports.
Malone has been opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers on their six-date stadium tour of Australia, produced by Live Nation, which wrapped up Sunday (Feb. 12) at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
The U.S. rapper’s fourth and latest studio album, Twelve Carat Toothache, peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart following its release in June 2022. Toothache marked his third top 10 debut in Australia, with his previous albums Hollywood’s Bleeding (from 2019) and Beerbongs & Bentleys (2018) both bowing at No. 1 in the week of release.
Toward the end of her headlining Super Bowl 2023 Halftime Show on Sunday (Feb. 12), as “All of the Lights” began blasting from the State Farm Stadium’s speakers, Rihanna took a beat to fix her makeup, casually touching up with her own Fenty Beauty invisimatte instant setting and blotting powder. Once she finished, a backup dancer handed Rihanna her microphone back, and she returned to business as usual by dominating TV’s biggest stage in her first performance in more than five years, and her first one as a mother.
And during that 13-minute set, Rihanna reminded us that she’s still a powerhouse, no matter how long she’s kept fans waiting. The rather reclusive superstar has shown herself only a handful of times following her critically acclaimed 2016 album Anti: a verse on N.E.R.D.’s “Lemon” in 2017, another on PartyNextDoor’s “Believe It” in 2020. She had her first child with partner A$AP Rocky in 2022, and later that year, released her first single in years, “Lift Me Up” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, which earned her best original song nods at the 2023 Golden Globes (where she stole the show even though she didn’t take home the trophy) and 2023 Academy Awards. For anyone who thought that Rihanna’s star had dimmed over these idle years, she proved all dem haters wrong during her halftime set.
She got in everyone’s face from the jump by starting her performance with “Bitch Better Have My Money” on a moving, elevated stage while wearing a red hot, curve-hugging outfit that hinted at a now-confirmed second pregnancy. Much like Beyoncé’s big reveal at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Rihanna knew how to make the most out of her 13 minutes of fame — even if it wasn’t the much-anticipated album news the Navy was expecting.
From there, she soared even higher with her hits seamlessly interwoven throughout her performance, including her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s “Only Girl (in the World),” “We Found Love,” “S&M,” “Rude Boy,” “Work” and more. Fireworks lit up the sky like “Diamonds” and rained down during “Umbrella,” while her collaborator Jay-Z — who also signed Rihanna to Def Jam and Roc Nation, made several hits with her over the years and rapped about her being one of three billionaires to come out of “Hov crib” on DJ Khaled’s “God Did” — presumably watched like a proud big brother from the stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Rihanna previously refused to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show to show solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his famous protest against racial injustice that was frowned upon by the NFL. But since Roc Nation became the NFL’s official live music entertainment strategist in 2019, Jay-Z had the best shot at getting Rihanna to give the gig another chance — and she did. Though fans may never know what really convinced her to headline this year’s halftime performance, one thing’s for certain: that b—h will certainly get her money.
Previous Super Bowl Halftime Show performers have found various ways to capitalize this moment and make it a significant footnote in their musical careers. Mary J. Blige released her 14th studio album, Good Morning Gorgeous, two days before her big gig alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem; the deluxe version of that album helped the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul earn six Grammy nominations for this year’s celebration. The year prior, The Weeknd released a greatest hits album, The Highlights, two days before his big gig; the project joined Dawn FM in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 with the former’s No. 8 debut on the chart. But Rihanna didn’t take a page from their handbooks, because she has to do things her own way, darling.
She utilized multiple branches of her Fenty empire to further push the narrative that during the halftime show was all about a “Rihanna concert interrupted by a football game, weird but whatever” (read one of the T-shirts from her Savage x Fenty game day apparel collection). One item from her Fenty Beauty Showstopp’r kit, which came in a stadium-friendly clear makeup bag, was a football-shaped makeup sponge. And with Valentine’s Day just around the corner — which calls for its own set of holiday-appropriate lingerie and makeup collections from Rih’s various name brands — music sales won’t be the only gains she sees after Sunday.
But by the end, Rihanna basked in the glory and applause from the very top, where she’d comfortably sat over the years, as the game’s real MVP. That Rihanna reign just won’t ever let up.
Jay-Z brought his favorite Super Bowl date along on Sunday night in Glendale, Ariz.: his daughter Blue Ivy.
The 11-year-old attended last year’s Super Bowl with her dad in Los Angeles and was also with him at 2020’s big game in Miami, and he brought his daughter to work again Sunday to watch the Roc Nation-curated halftime show, headlined by the Roc’s own Rihanna.
While fans might have expected that Jay would join Rih for their collaborations “Run This Town” or “Umbrella” — both of which Rihanna performed Sunday night — he was at least in the building for the monumental set, her first televised music performance in five years, since 2018’s Grammys.
The daddy-daughter duo wore coordinated all-black ‘fits, with Jay-Z repping Roc Nation with his black hoodie. Blue wore a black T-shirt emblazoned with Tupac Shakur’s face, with a black zip-up hoodie and black backward snapback. (In Billboard‘s just-unveiled 50 Greatest Rappers list, Blue’s dad holds the top spot, while Shakur is at No. 4.)
The NFL Twitter account shared the duo’s arrival on the field:
According to photos from the field, Jay and Blue hobnobbed with Lil Uzi Vert, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and Hell’s Kitchen chef Gordon Ramsay.
Jay-Z won his first Primetime Emmy as an executive producer of year’s Super Bowl half time show, which was voted outstanding variety special (live). The celebration of hip-hop starred Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent. Jay was nominated in that same category the previous year as an executive producer of the halftime show starring The Weeknd.
Blue’s mom Beyoncé, meanwhile, has hit center field as a Super Bowl halftime performer twice: Once for her own headlining set in 2013 and once as a special guest during Super Bowl’s set in 2016. The real question: When will 5-year-old twins Sir and Rumi Carter get the invite to join their famous parents at the Big Game?
Fans caught photos of Jay being an excellent Instagram Dad and capturing some pics for Blue on the field:
Too good! Rihanna headlined the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday (Feb. 12), delivering her first public performance since she last took the stage at the 2018 Grammys alongside DJ Khaled, and she worked it — with what some fans believe is a major reveal: that she’s pregnant with baby No. 2.
Her true blue Navy were quick to sing her praises after her sky-high set at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., where she performed a medley of some of her biggest hits, including launching her set with “Bitch Better Have My Money” before delivering classics such as “Umbrella,” “Only Girl (in the World,” “Diamonds” and many more.
Though she didn’t bring any special guests for her performance, some fans were convinced that Ri had one — inside her belly, which she appeared to rub at several points during her set.
“She’s definitely pregnant and she definitely just proved women are superhuman #Rihanna,” one impressed viewer tweeted.
“I remember being that pregnant and feeling out of breath when I got up off the couch,” added another. “That was unreal.”
Her skin-tight, body-hugging top paired with a vinyl red bustier bra also seemed to accentuate what could be a baby bump. “IS RIHANNA PREGNANT!?!?!” one fan wondered. “If not that red outfit playing with me eyes.”
There were also some interesting theories about the star choosing to wear a crimson outfit while all of her dancers were in white: “#SuperbowlLVII Theory: @rihanna dressed in red with 100 white background dancers to show she was pregnant. Red egg, white sperm. The world will never be the same,” one viewer conjectured.
The nine-time Grammy winner and Fenty mogul is already mom to a little boy, whom she gave birth to in May. Dad is Rihanna’s boyfriend, A$AP Rocky.
See more fan tweets speculating about whether Rihanna is pregnant during Super Bowl 2023 Halftime Show performance below:
She’s definitely pregnant and she definitely just proved women are superhuman #Rihanna— EXHAUSTED MILLENNIAL MAMA™ (@emmbykm) February 13, 2023
IS RIHANNA PREGNANT!?!?! If not that red outfit playing with me eyes— Raquel⚜️ (@KaiiStarr) February 13, 2023
She looks pregnant again. She did rub her belly at the start of her performance. If she is pregnant again, it makes it even more bad ass. This was great either way.— Kāsha Monique (@Kasha_Monique) February 13, 2023
I remember being that pregnant and feeling out of breath when I got up off the couch. That was unreal. #Rihanna— Laurie Cobb (@laurieleacobb) February 13, 2023
I am not trying to speculate because I know it’s gross I just think it would be so fucking cool if rihanna did that while pregnant— Elayna Tell (@itspenstone) February 13, 2023
Rihanna is an absolute icon 😍😍 and she did this while pregnant— Jesus Elias 🐻🪶 (@SithLordElias) February 13, 2023
RIHANNA IS PREGNANT WITH BABY NUMBER 2 ???— kairo | very slow dms (@i2nbhd) February 13, 2023
#SuperbowlLVII Theory: @rihanna dressed in red with 100 white background dancers to show she was pregnant. Red egg, white sperm. The world will never be the same.— Jermaine F. (@xbigfreshx) February 13, 2023
When Rihanna took the field at the 2023 Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., the Philadelphia Eagles lead the Kansas City Chiefs with a score of 24-14. But tensions over the NFL showdown were wiped clean the moment the superstar descended from the ceiling, decked out in red and belting the boisterous bars of “B-tch Better Have My Money” as her platform dangled above the field (an interesting choice, given that Super Bowl halftime performers generally aren’t paid for their efforts).
As the first artist to ever perform the Apple Music-sponsored Super Bowl Halftime Show, Rih pulled out all the stops, bringing out damn near every hit song you could imagine in her catalog. The State Farm Stadium roared as she ran through everything from “Rude Boy” to “Umbrella” to “We Found Love” to “Only Girl (In the World)” to “Diamonds.” Not surprising, really — Rihanna has 14 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (as well as an imposing 32 top 10s on that chart), so there was plenty of classics for her to choose from when blessing the State Farm Stadium with her indelible music and fashion.
Admittedly, the Barbadian pop star had a tough act to follow: The 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show – featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, as well as appearances from 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak – became the first halftime show to win the Emmy for outstanding variety special (live). But based on immediate reactions on social media, it seems like this is what people came for when they tuned into a Rihanna halftime show.
Babyface appeared at the 2023 Super Bowl to perform a stunning rendition of the patriotic classic “America the Beautiful” ahead of the championship football game on Sunday (Feb. 12).
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The R&B singer appeared at the stadium solo, wearing an all-black suit — and his signature angular black sunglasses — with nothing but an acoustic guitar painted with American flag motifs to accompany him during the performance. The “When Can I See You” singer’s rendition of the track was a peaceful one, featuring him playing the guitar and singing the song’s lyrics with the occasional high note and vocal runs for added flair.
Babyface, whose real name is Kenneth Brian Edmonds, was accompanied by sign language interpreter Colin Denny, a deaf member of the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Denny signed “America the Beautiful” in both American Sign Language and North American Indian Sign Language.
Babyface has 12 Grammy Awards and five top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. His performance of “America the Beautiful” is just one of many musical moments taking place during the 2023 Super Bowl. Before the singer-producer sang for the stadium of fans, Sheryl Lee Ralph dazzled with a choir-backed performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Chris Stapleton’s performance of the National Anthem followed Babyface’s “America the Beautiful” rendition.
Halfway through the game, Rihanna will be taking the stage for the Apple Music Halftime Show for what she described as a “jam-packed” 13-minute medley of hits that span her entire catalog.
Sheryl Lee Ralph performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at Super Bowl 2023 Sunday (Feb. 12) from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
She delivered a robust performance with the help of a backup choir and American Sign Language performer Justina Miles, taking everyone in the stadium — and the 100 million estimated television viewers at home — to church instead.
“Let our rejoicing rise/ High as the listening skies,” she bellowed of the uplifting lyrics. While wearing a magnificent off-the-shoulder red and black jumpsuit with matching puffy gloves, the Emmy award-winning Abbott Elementary actress looked like a winner hours before either the Philadelphia Eagles or Kansas City Chiefs would be declared the evening’s victors.
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“Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a hymn written by James Weldon Johnson that’s often referred to as the “Black national anthem” because the “lyrics eloquently captured the solemn yet hopeful appeal for the liberty of Black Americans” and was “prominently used as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s,” according to the NAACP.
Ralph made history on game day by becoming the first Black person to perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” on the field before the Super Bowl. Two years ago, Alicia Keys became the first person to perform the anthem during the Super Bowl primetime telecast in a pre-recorded video. Last year, Mary Mary did the honors from outside Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.
Watch Ralph’s performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” above.
Everyone from Taylor Swift to Paramore dropped new music just in time for Valentine’s Day, and Billboard wants to know which release you plan on having on repeat going into the holiday.
Swift continues riding the wave of her newest single “Lavender Haze” with a dance-heavy remix for the Midnights opener by Felix Jaehn. (Prior to being tapped by the superstar, the German producer was likely most familiar to U.S. audiences for helming Omi’s 2015 No. 1 hit “Cheerleader.”)
Hayley Williams and her bandmates, meanwhile, deliver their long-awaited comeback album This Is Why. The pop-punk trio’s first follow-up to 2017’s After Laughter contains singles “This Is Why,” “The News” and “C’est Comme Ça.”
Elsewhere, Lizzo teams up with her bestie SZA for a new remix of “Special,” which finds Billboard‘s newly revealed Woman of the Year preaching, “Woke up this mornin’ to somebody judgin’ me/ No surprise they judgin’ me, don’t know who I’m ‘posed to be I’m just actin’ up, I’m crass as f–k, and never sayin’ sorry/ Found out in the end that I can only do it for me.”
Dove Cameron also joins forces with Khalid on the sultry new collaboration “We Go Down Together,” Luke Combs follows up his debut on the Grammys stage with”Love You Anyway” off his upcoming album Gettin’ Old, D4vd unveils the heartsick, pleading “Placebo Effect” and Mariah Carey cashes in on the viral resurgence of “It’s a Wrap” by dedicating an entire EP to the Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel fan favorite.
Vote for your favorite new release of the week in Billboard‘s poll below.
