2019 Super Bowl: Travis Scott, Big Boi to join Maroon 5 in Super Bowl halftime show
The NFL ended months of uncertainty Sunday by officially announcing Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi as the performers at this year's Super Bowl halftime show on CBS. Maroon 5 had been the widely reported halftime show act since September, but the NFL didn't confirm the band as its headliner until Sunday.
Typically one of the most fiercely sought gigs in music, the Super Bowl halftime show has this year been the subject of boycott and protest. Numerous acts have turned down the NFL in support of Colin Kaepernick and other players who have taken a knee during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice.
Jay-Z, who has been openly critical of the NFL, reportedly attempted to talk Scott out of performing during the show.
Gerald Griggs, vice president of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP, has said the NAACP asked performers who have signed up to reconsider their participation. More than 84,000 have signed an online petition urging Maroon 5 to withdraw from the Super Bowl "until the league changes their policy and support players' constitutional right to protest."
Billboard reported that Scott, who reportedly signed on in December, only agreed to perform if the NFL made a joint donation to an organization fighting for social justice. With the NFL, Scott made a $500,000 donation to Van Jones' Dream Corps.
This year's Super Bowl will be broadcast from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta by CBS on Feb. 3.