Joe Budden Isn't Ruling Out Kanye West Joining Jay-Z for Super Bowl Halftime Show

Joe Budden believes Kanye West could make a surprise appearance during Jay-Z's upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance, despite his and his former collaborator's controversial past.

During a recent episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Budden and his co-hosts discussed potential guests for Hov's Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show, scheduled for February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

While Beyoncé, Rihanna and Justin Timberlake were among the names mentioned, the conversation eventually turned to Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. "Now that he's been announced officially, I don't know if I'm willing to 100 percent close the door on Kanye coming out," Budden said.

Several of his co-hosts were even more confident about the possibility. "I think Kanye's happening," Ice said, while Ish added: "I think it's 100 percent happening."

The hosts then pointed to Jay-Z's recent conversation with Rick Rubin, during which the Brooklyn rapper spoke positively about Ye, as a reason not to dismiss the possibility of a reunion. "He was pretty nice about the Kanye situation," Parks said.

Marc Lamont Hill argued that West's past behavior and controversial statements could make the NFL reluctant to approve his involvement, regardless of his relationship with Jay-Z.

The discussion comes after Ye made disturbing remarks about Jay-Z and Beyoncé's children in March 2025. In a series of since-deleted X posts, Ye questioned the couple's younger children's visibility before using an ableist slur to describe them.

Ye also accused Jay-Z of mistreating him throughout their relationship, writing: "Shit hurts so fuck both of them."

Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles, appeared to respond to the controversy at the time, writing on Instagram: "It's hard to remain positive and classy in the face of ignorance and evil."

Those comments were among the reasons some of Budden's co-hosts questioned whether Jay-Z would be willing to share such a significant moment with Ye. "There's the personal piece of it, right? The things he said about Jay are things that you probably can't get past," Hill explained.

He also argued that even if Jay-Z could convince the NFL to allow Ye to perform, the effort might not be worthwhile. "The amount of social capital and the amount of risk that Jay-Z has to take and the amount of favors and work he has to do is not something you do for somebody who did that to him," he said.

Still, Budden and others suggested Jay-Z's industry relationships could help overcome potential obstacles if both rappers genuinely wanted to reconcile. "I just think that relationships get around non-starters," Budden said.

The group also discussed the possibility of Jay-Z performing "Run This Town," his 2009 collaboration with Kanye West and Rihanna, which could provide an opportunity for a reunion. "If I were Jay-Z, I would want that song to come on properly at the Super Bowl," Budden said.

Jay-Z was officially announced as the Super Bowl LXI halftime headliner on Monday (October 26), following a year of anniversary performances celebrating his catalog.

"From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey," Jay-Z said in the announcement. "Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world's biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true."