Cardi B ‘denied’ herself a Super Bowl Halftime performance

‘I’m going to eat that up’ said rapper on idea of performing at prestigious show

Cardi B has said that she’d now be keen to play the Super Bowl halftime show after declining the offer in 2019.

After the release of the New York rapper’s debut LP, Invasion of Privacy, in 2019, The Independent reported that the Washington Heights native was in talks to perform alongside Maroon 5 for their collaborative song “Girls Like You.”

She then rejected the opportunity in solidarity with the San Francisco 49ers’ former quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, who introduced the concept of taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racism.

Speaking to Billboard, Cardi B has revealed she would take on the chance to perform this time. Not due to a change of politics, but from an evolution of her career.

Cardi B at the American Music Awards (Invision/AP)

“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,” she said.

In 2024, Cardi B starred in a NYX Makeup advertisement that premiered during the event.

Previously, the likes of Rihanna turned down the opportunity to perform at the half-time show and have since changed their minds.

The “Diamond” singer performed at the 2023 Super Bowl, breaking her boycott of the NFL. She later told British Vogue: “It’s powerful to break those doors, and have representation at such a high, high level and a consistent level.”

Cardi (left) and Megan Thee Stallion (right) in WAP music video (YouTube)

Since the release of her first studio project, the rapper scored a hit single with “WAP” in 2020. She has largely focused on family life since, giving birth to her third child in 2024, divorcing Migos member Offset and settling a lawsuit.

The 32-year-old was granted a quick and absolute victory Tuesday (2 September) at a trial in the lawsuit brought by a security guard who alleged the rap star assaulted her at a doctor’s office during her first pregnancy.

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The jury at a small courthouse in Alhambra, California, deliberated for only about an hour before finding Cardi not liable in the lawsuit brought by Emani Ellis, who alleged Cardi cut her face with a fingernail and spat on her in the hallway of a Beverly Hills obstetrician in February of 2018.

Cardi B’s second studio album, Am I the Drama?, will be released 19 September 2025.