Spitballing Super Bowl 53’s Possible Halftime Shows

By Brandon Gutierrez
Rap Journalist

Super Bowl 52’s festivities have concluded and the critiques for Justin Timberlake’s third Super Bowl have commenced. It is very early to start thinking about the next performer for the coming Super Bowl halftime show but I find relevance in brainstorming about the possibilities to top past performances. Super Bowl 53 is set to be hosted by Atlanta; with that being said, I am super intrigued to see what the NFL can muster up from the rap music hub. Would the NFL even allow a rap artist perform on its biggest stage? Would they even choose an Atlanta native to perform? How tough could it be to find a politically correct rap artist for this level of publicity?

There are so many questions the NFL must go over to pinpoint the right candidate. The reviews weren’t good for Justin Timberlake. Many just weren’t awed by the pop artist’s third Super Bowl appearance. Pitchfork’s headline the night after was, “Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl Halftime Show: Meh, Personified.” Justin Timberlake is beloved and undoubtedly a talent but his music catalog has become repetitive because of the all the stages he’s had the privilege of performing on.

The NFL must be more creative this next time around in order to regain interest. The NFL can do so by taking full advantage of the environment of their next Super Bowl and it should serve as the perfect chance to change the narrative of always choosing pop artists. Top rap artists that represent Atlanta who could be possibilities are OutKast, Migos and Childish Gambino.

OutKast would be my favorite and I believe they would have the highest probability of obtaining this honor. They have classic hits that reach a large demographic and it would be exciting to see a return from the celebrated duo in legendary fashion, plus there aren’t many, if any negative characteristics from André 3000 and Big Boi. I only mention Migos because they seem to be the face of Atlanta rap music as of recently due to their exploding success over the last two years. Migos are not politically correct and could worry NFL entertainment executives. Childish Gambino is a creative genius and his artistic fingerprints are spread all over the entertainment world. The rapper is also known for his work as Donald Glover. He won an Emmy for “Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series” for his FX show Atlanta. The man is accomplished and could be deserving but there are questions surrounding whether his music catalog of hit songs would be enjoyable for the mass audience.

A Super Bowl in Atlanta is going to be exciting and an entertaining halftime show for the ages is past due. What would you like to see? OutKast jumping to “Hey Ya”, Migos rapping “T-Shirt” or Childish Gambino singing “Redbone?” A hip-hop fan can only dream.

Featured image by Lorie Shaull via Flickr.