Earlier, it was reported that Travis Scott had signed on to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show alongside Maroon 5, but it looks like that could be changing. That is, if Jay-Z has his way. Variety reports that Jay — who has been critical of the NFL ever since the organization allegedly “blackballed” former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for his widely publicized national anthem protests — is currently trying to talk Travis out of performing.
According to Variety:
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.
Jay has been one of Kaepernick’s more outspoken supporters, wearing a custom jersey with the quarterback’s former number and name on it during performances and shouting him out from the stage. The NFL has taken criticism from other Black performers and celebrities due to its response to the protest controversy, which some have floated as a major reason behind the league’s inability to lock down performers for the next Super Bowl halftime show. Ironically, the NFL also took flack from another contingent of fans who were offended by the Black pride overtones of Beyonce’s performance in 2016, which inspired one of the funniest SNL sketches in a while.
Meanwhile, Kaepernick’s collusion case against the NFL is slated to continue after the NFL failed to get the case tossed out in court.
