Maroon 5 may have been tapped to headline the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show. However, according to a new report, they apparently weren’t the first choice — Rihanna was.
Details below…
Citing a source close to the situation US Magazine shared:
“The NFL and CBS really wanted Rihanna to be next year’s performer in Atlanta,” the insider reveals. “They offered it to her, but she said no because of the kneeling controversy. She doesn’t agree with the NFL’s stance.”
After Rihanna, 30, rebuffed the halftime offer, the NFL extended it to Maroon 5.
Figures.
After all, RiRi is said to be dropping new music imminently. And she is one of the few stars left of a specific ilk that is Super Bowl worthy. So it’s not at all far fetched that there were conversations. Nor is the reason why she would have turned it down.
For, the kneeling controversy remains a major issue in the Black diaspora. Indeed, Rih’s mentor Jay-Z confirmed he too turned down the Bowl (after initially being tapped to co-headline with Justin Timberlake this year) for similar reasons.