If you’d look at Mary J Blige’s life and see what she’s seen, you would be impressed and moved! This weekend, the legendary singer will be hitting the stage for one of America’s biggest nights on television. Alongside some of Hip-Hop’s heavyweights – Dr. Dre; Kendrick Lamar; Eminem; and Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige is gearing up to perform at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show. But, many would be shocked to find out that the legendary singer has reportedly revealed she won’t be compensated for her performance.
Get your “Chronic” ready. Get ready to potentially “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” There’s a great chance that viewers at home or attending Sunday’s big game at the Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles, won’t be able to “sit down” while a specific performer assuredly won’t be “Humble” during his set. But, on the other hand, this year’s Super Bowl is sure to make fans “Lose Yourself” in the moment, or for at least 12 minutes. Either way, it’s definitely about to “get crunk” because we’re going to have fun “in this dancery,” where no hateration or holleration will be allowed!
On paper, this year’s Halftime Show lineup is expensive, to say the least. But, when you look at each artist’s respective careers, it’s easy to ascertain why they deserve whatever dollar amount they request. So, it could undoubtedly come as a shock to fans when they hear not only will each heavy-hitter potentially perform one song, they aren’t being paid to perform.
Mary J. Blige seemed to confirm the notion that the artists performing at this year’s Super Bowl won’t be compensated during a recent appearance on Los Angeles Real 92.3’s The Cruz Show. When the hosts inquired about the potential of a free performance, Blige said, “I mean, listen. You’re gonna be paid for the rest of your life off of this. People are going to be knocking at your [door].”
Sort of shocked about the news, the hosts quickly realized the upsides of performing in the Super Bowl. The Good Morning Gorgeous singer assured them that the NFL and Halftime show organizers “won’t have to pay” her. However, if there were to be a paycheck attached to the performance, Blige assured, “it would be a lot of money. But I’m good.”
Fans that heard this confirmation quickly displayed their shock all over social media. See, many of those aware of Blige’s phenomenal 30+ year career achievements could not fathom the thought of the multi-award-winning singer and actor performing on one of the biggest platforms, free of charge.
Mary J. Blige has sold millions upon millions of albums and singles. Her music career has garnered tons of Grammy Award wins and nominations, along with American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, BET Awards, and more. Showing and proving that her gift has no end, Blige also started to act with walk-on roles on shows like The Jamie Foxx Show and Moesha. But in 2001, Blige made her film debut in the film Prison Song. Her acting career in movies continued with her acclaimed role as “Florence Jackson” in the 2017 Oscar-nominated film Mudbound. From this, Blige accrued two Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Song in the same year. This made her the first person ever to achieve such a feat in the same year.
Currently, Mary J. Blige is gearing up to release her fourteenth studio album, Good Morning Gorgeous. The entertainer can also be seen playing the role of “Monet” in the Starz show, Power Book II: Ghost, which the new generation has been introduced to her. However, judging by the comments, many people suggested that it “couldn’t be them.”
However, one fan of Mary and also Power hilariously proclaimed, “She [needs] that money for Zeke’s funeral.” If you watch the show, you’ll know that Mary’s character, Monet, and the family, are about to be in a very tough position, financially and security-wise. Another joked, “MONET YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO IF YOU AINT GETTING PAID!!!”
But Mary J. Blige, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, spoke on the benefits of her upcoming performance. “This is major,” Blige exclaimed. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Indeed it is, and we’ll be dancing right along with her. Also, it should be noted that previous Super Bowl Halftime Show performers have not been paid either. However, they each have seen a significant peak in their sales, as well as their streaming numbers in this new era.