Jay-Z goes on bizarre rant about AI after fierce backlash for 'choosing himself to perform Super Bowl halftime show'

Jay-Z has gone on a bizarre rant about Artificial Intelligence as he hit back at fierce backlash coming his way after reportedly choosing himself to perform the Super Bowl halftime show.

The iconic rapper, 56, signed a $5 million-a-year deal with the NFL to oversee the music spectacle in 2019, which was renewed in 2024, and has since selected the likes of Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny.

But, according to a report by Puck News, Jay-Z will hand the honor of performing this season's show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on February 14 to himself.

When contacted by the Daily Mail on Tuesday morning, Roc Nation declined to comment on the record. The NFL also declined to comment and reiterated that it only shares official confirmation when the announcement is made. 

The Daily Mail first reported that Jay-Z, who is married to and shares three children with Beyonce, was considering himself for the Halftime Show on September 18, something which Roc Nation and the NFL furiously denied at the time.

Rumors had previously suggested Jay-Z and Roc Nation were considering Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Harry Styles for one of America's most iconic gigs. 

Since the news surfaced, Jay-Z has been slammed online, including a string of memes mocking his supposed decision to select himself.

On Saturday, he blamed A.I. in a rant during his concert at SoFi Stadium, where the Super Bowl will be held in February.  

'People will tell you that nobody was in here tonight, but you got eyes,' he began.

'You can see. People will tell you that the music wasn't great, but you got ears. You gotta understand, you gotta question everything. It's been this world of AI and everything.'

'I mean, it's been going on forever, right? We called it propaganda before, but now with the technology, it's caught up. It's a beautiful trick. A lot of tricknology. It's called artificial intelligence 'cause it's been against you guys.

'It's been against us. We got real intelligence, not artificial intelligence. We feel, right? This concert tonight, we felt. When Stupid Drake came out, we felt that s***, correct?

'Make sure you question everything you feel. Machines are learning you. You tell them your swag, you tell them your name, you tell them anything, and then it mimics you. Can't be you.'

While Jay-Z has never performed at the Super Bowl, wife Beyonce did so at the 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans. She also returned as a special guest with Bruno Mars during Coldplay's performance in 2016 in Santa Clara. 

Jay-Z hasn't released an album since '4:44' in 2017, which went double-platinum. 

Last year's Bad Bunny halftime show, the first not performed in English, generated huge debate and controversy which led to Jay-Z discussing the process behind choosing each act.

'I think everyone should experience music in its totality,' he told GQ.

'And for a lot of years, it was only one side of music that was being represented. We got the opportunity to create a more balanced idea of what popular music is today. 

'I'm not going out on a limb, this is the most famous people in the world. I didn't pick, like, the indie artist that I really like from Portland - It's the number one most streamed artist in the world. Him!'

Despite the backlash, the Bad Bunny show set global viewership and social media records but fell short of the most viewed show of all-time on US television ratings.