Why Drake Should Perform at the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show: Critic’s Take

Right now, Kendrick Lamar is undoubtedly the greatest rapper alive. From his victory lap at the 2025 Grammys, where he won five awards, including song and record of the year for “Not Like Us,” to his record-shattering Super Bowl performance, he unseated Drake from his 15-year run of dominance and currently reigns supreme as hip-hop’s golden child. 

After getting drubbed to the point that pop culture and Serena Williams crip-walked on his proverbial grave, how can The Boy mount a comeback bigger than LeBron’s 2016 Cavs? Easy: by performing at the 2026 Super Bowl.

While the thought is grandiose in theory, why wouldn’t Jay-Z entertain the idea of Drake responding to his bitter adversary on the world’s biggest stage? Recent loss or not, Drake is box office. From a numbers perspective, he’s been operating in God Mode for nearly two decades, with his only kryptonite being Taylor Swift. Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR are vying for the top spot on next week’s Billboard 200 after last Friday’s (Feb. 14) release of $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. Though the 21-track effort isn’t the home run that Aubrey’s Angels were looking for, the joint collaboration should earn Drake his 14th No. 1 album, tying him with Jay-Z for most No. 1 albums of all-time on the rap side.

In addition, during his Anita Max Win Tour in Australia earlier this month, Drake signaled that he’s busily chipping away on a new solo album, telling fans in attendance: “You know, eventually when the time is right, Drizzy Drake alone by himself is gonna have to have a one-on-one talk to y’all.” If Drake drops another LP this calendar year, that puts him in a rarified position to topple his idol Jay-Z and have 15 No. 1 albums to his name. A feat like that deserves a victory lap. And what better stage to celebrate than the Super Bowl, a platform that could remind fans of his immense catalog?

With a peerless arsenal of hits to his name — over 350 on the Billboard Hot 100, with double digits more likely coming after the $exy $ongs debut — why not bring his hall-of-fame-worthy catalog to a stage where his track record can be appreciated and celebrated? Drake can do a 12-minute set strictly with his Hot 100 No. 1 records. Even forgoing his appearances on the Rihanna-led “Work” and “What’s My Name” — for obvious reasons — he’ll still have a firm command of the audience.

Though K. Dot’s spellbinding performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show was commendable, he left some viewers feeling that he cut the most important thing during rehearsals: the hits. His decisions to perform GNX album cuts over longtime favorites like “LOVE,” “LOYALTY,” or even “Swimming Pools” were headscratchers for many, with things only picking up for those critics when SZA came on, or even when Dot performed his casket-shutter “Not Like Us.” 

Enter Drake, who can not only quench viewers’ thirst for bops but fire away song after song, treating the stage like his own Verzuz battle. “God’s Plan, “Hotline Bling,” “Nice For What.” Pick a song, and Drake can have a field day with it, perhaps ultimately challenging Lamar’s record-setting 133.5 million viewers. Even Drake detractors, who either detested him from the start of his career or believed he’d never recover from Kendrick’s knockout blow, would still tune in just to see how or if he’d respond to the pgLang superstar. If executed as envisioned, Drake’s performance could surpass Lamar’s showing, solidify his comeback, and reaffirm his dominance in the hip-hop space.

One of the biggest hurdles to making this happen would be the much-needed conversation with Jay-Z. Rumor has it that Drake was offered the SB Halftime Show opportunity multiple times but ultimately turned it down. Now more than ever, Drake needs that Get Out of Jail Free card and Hov can give him that. Jay, widely considered the preeminent businessman in hip-hop, should at least entertain the conversation because – from a viewership standpoint, who wouldn’t want to see Drake? At his best, he’s still a top-five caliber artist and one of the most prominent musicians of the last 20 years. Now mix in the feud with Kendrick? Drake would have a chip on his shoulder and use the Super Bowl stage as his place for redemption for what Kendrick did to him the previous year. 

Drake could further rev up anticipation by bringing in Lil Wayne, who took offense at not being invited to headline this year’s Super Bowl performance in his hometown of New Orleans, and give him the moment he once yearned for. And we can’t forget the wildcard of Nicki Minaj: Though she had some vitriol for Jay and Roc Nation last year after Wayne’s snub, Jay has to believe that having the biggest hip-hop trio of all time on a stage like the Super Bowl would guarantee eyes and big-time numbers.

If I’m Drake, another crucial factor to consider would be not performing on U.S. soil in 2025. For this plan to work, he must continue to perform overseas and have his U.S. fans clamoring for his return. With Lamar graduating to stadium status, Drake returning to the States and doing standard arena shows wouldn’t hold water in future hip-hop debates. Drake doing the 20th anniversary of the Wireless Festival in London for three nights is a huge win, and will surely make fans have extreme cases of FOMO. Drake should use these oversea moments as his rehearsal time for one day returning to the States, with the first stage being at Levi’s Stadium in 2026, potentially as the record-holder for the most No. 1 rap albums of all time, commanding a nine-digit global audience alongside his Young Money crew. Now, that would be some poetic justice.