Jay-Z was nominated for another Emmy for directing Rihanna’s halftime show during the 2023 Super Bowl.
Wednesday’s nomination brings the rapper, née Shawn Carter, up to three total primetime Emmy nominations, including a win for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which featured performances from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and a nomination for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for the 2021 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which featured a performance by The Weeknd.
While Jay-Z is credited as an executive producer for the 2021 and 2022 Halftime Shows through his entertainment agency Roc Nation, which produced all three shows alongside Jesse Collins Entertainment and DPS, the rapper upped the game to directing for Rihanna’s mashup performance. Jay-Z shares the executive producer title with Hamish Hamilton.
In this year’s race for the Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special Emmy Award, Jay-Z will compete against Paul Miller, who directed NBC and Silent House Productions’ “Carol Burnett: 90 Years Of Laughter + Love,” Joel Gallen, who directed Netflix’s “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage,” Glenn Weiss, who directed “The Oscars,” and Linda Mendoza, who directed Netflix’s “Wanda Sykes: I’m An Entertainer.”
During Rihanna’s performance, during which the singer revealed she was pregnant with her second child, Jay-Z also made an on-stage appearance for his collaboration on the singer’s “Umbrella.”
Rihanna’s performance featured an introductory mashup of classics “Pon de Replay,” “Don’t Stop the Music,” “Rude Boy,” “S&M, “Diamond” and “This is What You Came For,” before moving on to “Only Girl (In the World),” “What’s My Name” and “Work” feat. Drake (or A$AP Rocky). Next up was a piano medley with “California King Bed,” “Stay” and “Love on the Brain” before closing out the show with “Umbrella” feat. Jay-Z and “We Found Love.”
