Star names say no to Super Bowl show in support of police brutality protest
Rihanna and Cardi B among those declining to perform at half-time over NFL’s dispute with star Colin Kaepernick
Watched by more than 100 million people in the US and attracting stars including Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake, it is one of the most prestigious music shows in the world. But the Super Bowl’s half-time slot next month appears to be facing an unfamiliar problem: a lack of people willing to perform.
As the National Football League digs in its heels in a dispute with Colin Kaepernick, the star quarterback who refused to stand for the national anthem in protest at police brutality against racial minorities, the show this year has become more about politics than music. The fact that the Super Bowl is taking place in Atlanta, arguably the capital of black music in the US, has only added to the storm.