Travis Scott could have the opportunity of a lifetime as he joins Maroon 5 in performing at halftime of the Super Bowl, but Jay Z reportedly hopes the rapper will reconsider.
This week, reports surfaced that the Grammy-nominated rapper would be joining headliner Maroon 5 for a performance at halftime of the Super Bowl in February. As TMZ reported, the rapper was slated to be part of the performance and reports have indicated that Cardi B and Big Boi of Outkast are also in talks to join the show.
But there have been widespread calls across the music industry to boycott the show in protest of the NFL’s treatment of quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The former San Fransisco 49ers quarterback led a protest against police brutality by taking a knee during the national anthem, and his supporters say he was blackballed from the league by NFL owners as a result.
As Variety reported, Jay Z, has been especially vocal in calling on Travis Scott to back out of the show.
“Two sources also tell Variety that Jay-Z — who has been highly critical of the NFL over its treatment of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick — is attempting to talk Scott out of performing, although reps either declined comment or could not immediately be reached,” the report noted.
Kaepernick’s protest has continued to grow even though he has been out of the league for more than two seasons, with a number of other players taking up the protest and other celebrities and politicians expressing their support for his cause. Nike even made Kaepernick the face of their recent advertising campaign, continuing to give him a platform. Kaepernick is also moving forward with a lawsuit claiming that NFL owners colluded to keep him out of the league.
JAY-Z is reportedly attempting to talk Travis Scott to back out of Super Bowl halftime show. https://t.co/M2MDthJGMZ pic.twitter.com/840x3ICmsS
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) December 21, 2018
Despite the pressure for him to back out, Travis Scott is still set to perform at Super Bowl LIII, which will be held in Atlanta on February 3, and there are signs that other top music acts will still be there as well. As the New York Daily News noted, there doesn’t appear to be any issues in filling the slate for other concerts during Super Bowl week. Atlanta producer and music mogul Jermaine Dupri is putting together a Super Bowl Live series that has attracted acts like Goodie Mob, Ying Yang Twins, and Waka Flocka.
The NFL has not yet confirmed that Travis Scott will be part of the Super Bowl halftime entertainment.
