American rapper-singer, Cardi B, has established herself as a powerful force in the music industry. Her musical prowess is fuelled by her empowering lyrics and her quirky, outspoken personality. She has performed her music on major stages, including the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) and the Grammys. However, the singer has never been seen taking on the NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show stage. Recently, she was asked about her absence from the career-boosting show. Although she cited her experience as the reason, fans feel her 2019 justification for rejecting the show still holds up.
Why had Cardi B ‘denied’ the offer to perform at the Super Bowl?
Recently, Cardi B revealed in a Billboard interview that she turned down an opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The reason behind this is that she wants to deliver more bangers and have more experience in the field before taking on such a massive stage. She expressed confidence that when the time is right, she will finally headline the show and “eat that up”. Talking about the same with Billboard, the WAP singer said:
“I got asked to do the Super Bowl and I denied it. I feel like soon, if I get to do it, I’m going to have more hits. I’m going to be more experienced, and I’m going to eat that up.”
Cardi B rejected the Super Bowl offer six years ago, but for a different reason
Cardi B’s latest rejection of the Halftime Show appearance wasn’t the first time she’s done that. The Up singer stated that she turned down a potential performance for Super Bowl LIII in 2019 out of respect for former NFL star, Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality and racial injustice. Cardi B expressed that despite the financial sacrifice and her husband’s love for football, she felt it was essential to support Colin, who had sacrificed his career for his stance. She said:
“My husband, he loves football. His kids play football. It’s really hard for him. He really wants to go to the Super Bowl, but he can’t go to the Super Bowl because he’s got to stand for something. You have to sacrifice that. 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.”
What was the Colin Kaepernick protest about?
The Colin Kaepernick controversy arose in 2016, when the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback began kneeling during the United States National Anthem before NFL games. His initial motivation was to protest racial injustice and police brutality against Black people and people of colour in the United States. His teammate Eric Reid joined him in the protest, followed by other players across the league and beyond.
After the 2016 season, Colin opted out of his contract with the 49ers and became a free agent. He was not signed by any NFL team in the subsequent years, leading many to believe the league was blacklisting him due to his activism. Cardi B publicly supported him, rejecting the Halftime Show offer, stating she felt obligated to ‘stand behind him’ because he stood up for minorities. However, it’s essential to note that while she turned down previous offers, she indicated that she would be open to performing at the Super Bowl in the future, once she feels more prepared.
What are your thoughts on Cardi B’s latest stance regarding performing in the Super Bowl Halftime Show? Let us know.
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