Drake has indeed turned down the Super Bowl halftime show on multiple occasions, according to Elliott Wilson.
In the latest episode of HipHopDX’s The Bigger Picture, Wilson — who serves as Editorial Director of Hip Hop Journalism at UPROXX Studios, DX’s parent company — confirmed the news, which was first made public by New Rory & Mal co-host Mal earlier this week.
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The veteran Hip Hop journalist got more specific than Mal, revealing another interesting layer to the story. He said that Drake was asked to perform at the Super Bowl twice: first, in 2020 in Miami, and again the following year in Tampa.
Behind these offers was, of course, JAY-Z, who began working with the NFL in 2019 to help organize the league’s halftime show.
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After Drake turned them down, the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show was instead headlined by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, while Drizzy’s friend-turned-foe The Weekend landed the gig in 2021, adding another twist to the tale.
“I have some intel. I thought Mal was capping, I thought he was lying about Drake turning down the Super Bowl. That sounded wild. It was like, ‘Four times? Who turns down the Super Bowl that many times?'” Wilson said.
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“I have it on authority, multiple sources have told me that Drake has indeed turned down the Super Bowl. He actually turned down the first two [since JAY-Z’s NFL partnership] — the one in Miami and The Weeknd one.”
He added: “These guys are rivals with each other, they’ve had their good times and bad times with each other. But businesswise, JAY-Z wanted Drake on that Super Bowl stage and he turned it down twice.”
Elliott Wilson confirms Drake turned down the Super Bowl Halftime Show twice 👀 After Mal’s claim, Elliott’s sources verified Drake was offered the show in 2020 and 2021, the first two years JAY-Z helped pick. No reason was given for his decision. Full episode of… pic.twitter.com/jo3CXCNCsf
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) September 13, 2024
Wilson then defended Hov against claims that selecting Drake’s bitter rival Kendrick Lamar to perform at next year’s Super Bowl was a slight against the 6 God, as suggested by the likes of Nicki Minaj and Cam’ron.
“So now, years later, when the opportunity’s asked of Kendrick and Kendrick says, ‘Yes,’ is Jay not playing fair there?” he asked. “Should Drake feel a way about it when he knows himself he’s had the opportunity to do it but he’s turned it down twice?”
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The revelation arrives amid commotion surrounding Kendrick’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show, which takes place in New Orleans on February 9.
Many — including Birdman, Juvenile and Master P — have taken issue with the decision, arguing that Lil Wayne should’ve been given the nod considering he is a New Orleans legend and had openly coveted the gig.
Much of this anger has been directed at JAY-Z, with Nicki Minaj accusing the Roc Nation mogul of denying her Young Money mentor the opportunity out of “hatred” for herself, Birdman and Drake.
While neither Jay nor Kendrick have yet addressed the backlash, Wayne himself appeared heartbroken in an Instagram video shared on Friday (September 13) in which he admitted that the snub “hurt a lot.”
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“I thought there was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot,” he said, adding: “It broke me and I’m just trying to put me back together.”
The full episode of The Bigger Picture airs on Saturday (September 14) on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Additional reporting by Elise Ricks and Jeremy Hecht.
