The eight most-watched television broadcasts in US history were Super Bowl games. Though viewership has slipped in recent years, the 2018 game still gathered 103.4 million people in front of their screens. It was the top-rated TV event of the year. The game’s glitzy halftime show has its own starry history. Over a half-century, performers have included a who’s who of pop music, from Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, and Prince, to Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé. This year’s headliner, Maroon 5, can boast of three Grammy awards and millions of album sales, but it’s hardly the hot act of the moment. Cardi B, Rihanna, Jay-Z, and others apparently turned down the opportunity to star in the year’s biggest showcase to instead show support for Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. . Mr. Kaepernick, an African-American, became the eye of a public storm during the 2016 season when he knelt during the playing of the national anthem before NFL games to express his concern over incidents of racial injustice. But others saw the act as showing disrespect for the anthem and US flag. A cultural debate ensued. Today Kaepernick is no longer employed by an NFL team. That has led some to argue team owners won’t hire him because of his public political expression while working in an NFL event. An online petition asking Maroon 5 not to perform has received more than 110,000 signatures. But PJ Morton, the lone African-American member of Maroon 5, has defended the group’s appearance. “We can support being against police brutality against black and brown people and be in support of being able to peacefully protest and still do our jobs,” Mr. Morton has said. “We just want to have a good time and entertain people while understanding the important issues that are at hand.” Another African-American, the “Empress of Soul” Gladys Knight, has agreed to sing the national anthem at the game. “I understand that Mr. Kaepernick is protesting ... police violence and injustice,” she told Variety in a written statement. But “[i]t is unfortunate that our National Anthem has been dragged into this debate.... I pray that this National Anthem will bring us all together in a way never before witnessed and we can move forward and untangle these truths which mean so much to all of us.” Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox. Your email address By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Perhaps in an effort to quiet the controversy, Maroon 5 did not give a traditional press conference this week. Instead, it announced it would join with the NFL and Interscope Records to make a $500,000 donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Travis Scott, an African-American rapper who will join Maroon 5 on stage at halftime, earlier pledged to donate in partnership with the NFL $500,000 to Dream Corps, a nonprofit social justice group with several initiatives, including prison reform. One thing is certain in 2019: The show (and the football game) will go on. Those protesting or boycotting will make their point that racial issues still need attention. The participating performers will respect the issues Kaepernick raises while not seeing a need to politicize a sports and entertainment event. And the necessary national conversation about the best ways to draw attention to and correct social wrongs will go on. The civility of the debate will help ensure civil rights.<doc-sep>When I heard Big Boi rap the chorus to “Kryptonite” (“If you want me, you can find me in the A”) during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show as he made his entrance into the newly constructed Mercedes-Benz Stadium, it warmed my heart. Sleepy Brown, one-third of the legendary Georgia super producer group Organized Noize, was at his side. And I cannot forget his repetition of the city’s favorite, formidable chant: “ATL hoe.” As an Atlanta native, I treasured seeing a piece of my city splayed across national television, if only for a moment. But as quickly as Big Boi arrived on the stage, he was gone. I wanted more Atlanta representation, and — as expected — I didn’t get it. The NFL attempted to cater to a subculture they’re not well-versed in. The halftime show is supposed to be what’s popular, and Outkast, as their name suggests, had to fight to be taken seriously, even within the rap industry. Big Boi and his right-hand man André 3000 hit their stride at a time when mainstream America demonized rap and exaggerated its negative effects on the country’s youth. Had Big Boi performed any of the duo’s tales of urban life during the halftime show, the message would have lost its meaning to a largely white audience, much like Beyoncé’s ode to the Black Panther Party during her 2016 halftime performance. So “I Like The Way You Move” was the extent of Daddy Fat Stacks’ screen time. Ultimately, it’s hard for an organization like the NFL to pay homage to a black city when it’s showed time and time again that its interests lie elsewhere. It’s apparent, though, that the Super Bowl committee took critics’ opinions on social media into consideration. Many observers — including celebrities such as Ludacris and Bruno Mars — had been calling for the inclusion of Atlanta artists. . @NFL you have the opportunity to celebrate incredible Hip Hop Artist from Atlanta Next year. — Bruno Mars (@BrunoMars) February 5, 2018 So they gave us Big Boi and Gladys Knight. Lil Jon also performed earlier that day. They tried to listen. (Oddly, they also took a cue from a Twitter-fueled petition to have Spongebob make an appearance.) The timing, however, is not lost on me. I cannot recall such an attempt to include the host city, aside from interpolating New Orleans jazz bands every once and a while on the way to commercial breaks. But this year, they had something to prove. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s dismissal of Colin Kaepernick’s protest and vague implication that he is unemployed because he is not as capable — “I think if a team decides that Colin Kaepernick or any other player can help their team win, that’s what they’ll do,” he said — makes the consideration of Atlanta artists feel like pandering, especially after major celebrities like Cardi B and Jay-Z declined to perform out of support for the unsigned quarterback. So in true apologist fashion, a pathetic form of compensation was offered, and all we could do was watch (or not watch, if you are choosing to boycott the NFL) Travis Scott perform a very shortened version of “Sicko Mode” and Adam Levine take his shirt off and awkwardly grind his hips to “Moves Like Jagger.”<doc-sep>The Super Bowl halftime show is always a big deal. Welllllll, maybe not always. The first Super Bowl’s halftime show had a marching band and a bunch of pigeons. This millennium, anyway, the halftime show is often the most-talked about part of Super Bowl Sunday. Sometimes that’s a good thing (Prince!) and other times it really isn’t (Nipplegate). Maroon 5 — a safe, if boring choice — is already getting a lot of ink before the game between the Rams and Patriots. If you don’t quite understand why, let us help. We’re answering all your burning questions, from the controversy surrounding the halftime show to whether we’ll see a proposal from Travis Scott to Kylie Jenner, aka Generation Z’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. 1. Why Maroon 5? There are only two types of artists who get the call to play the Super Bowl halftime show these days. Aging legends (The Who, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen) and mega-popular, completely inoffensive acts* (Beyonce, Coldplay, Katy Perry). Maroon 5 falls firmly in the latter category, as they’ll bring their unique brand of waiting room rock to America’s longest bathroom break in Atlanta. Maroon 5’s soulless songwriting and Top 40 sound mean they’re objectionable only to those who believe people who whistle in songs should be exiled to the Yukon. They’ve sold more than 100 million singles and 27 million albums, so a few people will be excited to see them, at the very least. “Harder to Breathe” was OK, I guess. Anyway, Maroon 5 didn’t take the honor lightly. “I spoke to many people,” lead singer Adam Levine said, “most importantly though, I silenced all the noise and listened to myself, and made my decision about how I felt.” Seconds later, Levine disappeared up his own butthole. *Lady Gaga is the exception, but only kind of. 2. What’s the controversy about? Maroon 5 wasn’t the NFL’s first choice. Rihanna was reportedly approached to play the halftime show, but turned the offer down because of the league’s blackballing of former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick has been a free agent for each of the last two NFL seasons after kneeling during the national anthem throughout the 2016 season to protest police brutality and racial inequality. By accepting a gig that Rihanna passed on in solidarity with Kaepernick, Maroon 5 has faced criticism for slighting the quarterback. The band has — for the most part — avoided questions about Kaepernick, even skipping the press conference that halftime performers usually hold before the Super Bowl. But at least one member of Maroon 5 says it’s just about the band doing its job. “I think there are plenty of people — a lot of the players, to be honest — who support Kap and also do their job for the NFL,” Maroon 5 keyboardist PJ Morton told People. “I think we’re doing the same thing. We can support being against police brutality against black and brown people and be in support of being able to peacefully protest and still do our jobs. We just want to have a good time and entertain people while understanding the important issues that are at hand.” 3. So that’s why we won’t see Cardi B? Yup. The rapper is featured on Maroon 5’s song “Girls Like You,” which you’ve probably heard if you’ve turned on a pop radio station for 15 minutes at all in the last few weeks. So she was a logical choice to join Maroon 5 on stage, but she also turned down the offer because of the NFL’s treatment of Kaepernick. “You have to sacrifice that,” Cardi B told the Associated Press. “I got to sacrifice a lot of money to perform. But there’s a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him.” Maroon 5 still managed to find a couple artists to join them, though. 4. Why are Big Boi and Travis Scott performing? There’s a long list of influential musical artists from the city of Atlanta, but the NFL chose a band from Los Angeles for the halftime show. By adding Big Boi — one half of Atlanta-based rap duo, Outkast — the NFL got its musical nod to the host city. It added more star power by getting Travis Scott too. The Grammy nominated rapper had one of the most successful albums of 2018 with Astroworld. While he and Maroon 5 don’t have a song together, they do have the same management. But like Maroon 5, both artists face criticism for accepting a gig that Rihanna and Cardi B turned down. Rapper Jay-Z even reportedly tried to talk Scott out of the performance. Scott said he wouldn’t perform during the halftime show until the NFL agreed to make a donation to support a cause for social justice. “I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in,” Scott said in a statement, via Billboard. ”I know being an artist that it’s in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl Halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.” That donation hasn’t slowed the critique, though. 5. What songs should we expect? Bad ones. Or OK ones. Or good ones. Whatever your opinion is of Maroon 5 will probably determine whether you enjoy the setlist. Some of our guesses: “Sugar,” “This Love,” “Moves Like Jagger,” “Harder to Breathe,” and “Payphone.” Maybe a SpongeBob song. Adam Levine was featured on Big Boi’s “Mic Jack” from his 2017 album Boomiverse, so it seems like a good bet that’ll be on the agenda. Travis Scott will likely perform at least one of his own hits from his Astroworld. Let’s say ”Stargazing” and “Sicko Mode,” but don’t hold us to that because we’re not Tony Romo. 6. Any other surprise appearances? The game is in Atlanta, and Ludacris has been tweeting about hosting the big game in his home town incessantly. The NFL may be reticent about letting him anywhere near the 50-yard line, however. Big Boi’s appearance suggests we might get a full-blown Outkast performance if Andre 300 shows up. There may be no better palate cleanser to follow the mom jeans of rock and roll than “Bombs Over Baghdad.” The Zac Brown Band will not be there. 7. What about SpongeBob? SpongeBob SquarePants fans rose up after the cartoon’s creator, Stephen Hillenburg, passed away in November. A petition imploring the NFL to play “Sweet Victory” — the smash hit by the Bikini Bottom Super Band received more than 1.2 million signatures in the run-up to the Super Bowl. This is “Sweet Victory,” by the way: Both Maroon 5 and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium have dropped hints about this happening, enough so that the odds of America’s least-interesting band playing it are better than any one of their original songs. 8. Will Big Boi bring one of his owls? Big Boi loves owls and has at least two as pets (Hootie and Hoodini, amazing names). It’s not clear which owl this one is, but his ability to troll a cat (usually the trolliest pet) means he’s obviously the best one: Do we want Big Boi to bring that owl so that he’ll trick Adam Levine to falling off the stage? Yeah, a little bit. Do we think it’ll happen? Probably not. It’d be a Superb Owl Super Bowl if it did, though. 9. Will Travis Scott propose to Kylie Jenner? In January, the NFL confirmed that Travis Scott would be one of Maroon 5’s guests at the halftime show. That was a month after Scott told Rolling Stone that he and girlfriend Kylie Jenner would get married soon. “I gotta propose in a fire way,” he said. Plus, the Super Bowl is exactly one year and two days after their daughter, Stormi, was born. CONNECT THE DOTS, PEOPLE. So will the rapper ask the youngest of the Kardashian sisters (but not actually a Kardashian) for her hand in marriage Sunday night in front of the biggest TV audience of the year? Well, it’s possible they already are engaged.<doc-sep>
Advertising Read more New York (AFP) The US Super Bowl halftime show, one of pop music's most visible gigs, this year went from highly coveted to largely unwanted, leaving the NFL scrambling for takers as a cultural firestorm over social justice rages. Prominent artists including Rihanna, P!nk and Cardi B reportedly turned down the offer to headline Sunday's championship game between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams, amid the controversy over racially charged police brutality protests spearheaded by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. When news broke that pop-rock band Maroon 5 would lead the marquee show, which reaches an audience that generally tops 100 million, loud calls to boycott in solidarity with Kaepernick resounded. With its radio-friendly light songs about romance, the band seemed like a safe choice. But a petition urging the band to back out amassed more than 100,000 signatures, saying "until the league changes their policy and supports players' constitutional right to protest, no artists should agree to work with the NFL." Vic Oyedeji of North Carolina launched the petition, calling a boycott "the only way to affect the bottom line." "The NFL owners, they only see the bottom line. Let's be frank," he told AFP. After Maroon 5 accepted, two black rappers, Travis Scott and Big Boi, signed on. The move appeared to be an attempt by the National Football League to soothe anger not only over Kaepernick but also at having a mostly white California pop band star in the southern city of Atlanta, the capital of hip hop innovation. In another apparent bid to placate fans, the league booked Motown legend Gladys Knight, an Atlanta native, to sing the now-controversial Star Spangled Banner anthem before the game. - 'Throw money' at problems - Since 2016 the NFL has seen its reputation increasingly challenged after Kaepernick began taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem, a bid to draw attention to racial injustice. He has not played in the league since that year, and filed a grievance against the NFL and club owners claiming they have conspired not to hire him. US President Donald Trump made the kneeling protest a major issue, calling anyone who did it a "son of a bitch" and saying they should be fired. Rap royalty Jay-Z, a vocal Kaepernick backer, turned down top Super Bowl billing last year, which he referenced in his 2018 hit "APES**T." "I said no to the Superbowl/You need me, I don't need you," he raps in the song he co-performed with superstar wife Beyonce. The rap mogul reportedly tried to convince Scott, a Grammy-nominated rapper, to scrap his partnership with the NFL. A slew of rappers including Meek Mill and Common then voiced discontent that Scott would perform. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton also reprimanded the artists on board with the NFL saying: "You can't help people market something and then turn around and say but you agree with what people are protesting." The league did not respond to AFP's request for comment. But the show will go on with Scott, who according to Billboard signed on only after the NFL agreed to make a joint donation of $500,000 to a social justice organization. Maroon 5 partnered with the league and its label to give the same sum to an aid organization for children. Oyedeji scoffed at the move: "This is how big businesses handle issues with race," he said. "They throw money at the problem." - Bad publicity, still publicity - He also questioned the decision to perform by Big Boi -- half of Atlanta's legendary duo Outkast, whose eclectic brand of funk-infused hip hop took southern rap mainstream. "I can see on the one hand he's doing it for his city," he said. "But a lot of people are upset because they don't want to play second fiddle to a white artist in Atlanta, a black city." Oyedeji added that Big Boi has lost some fans in the process. "I know a lot of people who are very disappointed and surprised in Big Boi," he said. Despite the boycott efforts David Allan, a music marketing expert at Philadelphia's Saint Joseph's University, told AFP ratings would likely survive the controversy. "It's going to be pretty hard to boycott the Super Bowl -- it's such a big event," he said. "Some of this plays into the idea that it's better to have bad publicity than no publicity at all."