It was recently announced that, for the 2018 Super Bowl, Justin Timberlake will host the halftime show. Ever since the news was announced, it seems that everyone has an opinion about it, even if they are mixed themselves. Some argue that he may not be relevant anymore, or that other, newer artists should be given a chance. We decided to go around the Grove and dig deep into why or why not Timberlake was the right choice.
Brooklyn Norrington, a senior, disagrees with the choice. “An artist should either be an iconic legend or be incredibly relevant with popular songs… Though [Timberlake] is very talented and influential in pop music and culture, he’s worn off in popularity and relevance.”
Timberlake has released super hits in years past, such as “Rock Your Body”, “Cry Me A River”, and “Mirrors”. However, Timberlake was criticized for his last Halftime performance in 2004, in which he accidentally exposed Janet Jackson’s chest and staying silent about the matter, while Jackson was chided and shamed. He has also been criticized for staying mum when it came to Black Lives Matter and times when his music has been thought to appropriate black culture.
“Janet’s unfortunate malfunction can lead to criticism. If people see something [like that] once, they might think it will happen again. With female artists, they do dress a little more scandalously, which could lead to a greater of chance of something like that happening… Maybe, with Timberlake’s link to the movie Trolls, kids will be more attuned to this one,” says Amani Ashley, a senior.
However, the two had had some suggestions to offer on who should host in future years, or who should have hosted this year.
“I think that maybe a rapper should host. Like Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, or Migos,” suggests Brooklyn.
“I really liked Bruno Mars’ performance in 2014. I would like to see Rihanna host in the future, though,” says Amani.
Despite being skeptical, Timberlake’s show will most likely still have hundreds of millions of views, due to the Super Bowl’s popularity and the novelty of the event, especially because it only happens once a year. Amani weighs in:
“The halftime show is the part most people look forward to when watching the game. I personally didn’t know anything about football until I watched my first Super Bowl. I was only there for the halftime show at first, but I actually liked the game itself in the end. So, maybe, [the show] is there to create new fans. Who knows?”
The Super Bowl will be hosted on Sunday, February 4, 2018. Although the teams may be undetermined, it seems that our halftime host will bring something new this year.
photo credit: www.variety.com
Brooklyn Norrington, a senior, disagrees with the choice. “An artist should either be an iconic legend or be incredibly relevant with popular songs… Though [Timberlake] is very talented and influential in pop music and culture, he’s worn off in popularity and relevance.”
Timberlake has released super hits in years past, such as “Rock Your Body”, “Cry Me A River”, and “Mirrors”. However, Timberlake was criticized for his last Halftime performance in 2004, in which he accidentally exposed Janet Jackson’s chest and staying silent about the matter, while Jackson was chided and shamed. He has also been criticized for staying mum when it came to Black Lives Matter and times when his music has been thought to appropriate black culture.
“Janet’s unfortunate malfunction can lead to criticism. If people see something [like that] once, they might think it will happen again. With female artists, they do dress a little more scandalously, which could lead to a greater of chance of something like that happening… Maybe, with Timberlake’s link to the movie Trolls, kids will be more attuned to this one,” says Amani Ashley, a senior.
However, the two had had some suggestions to offer on who should host in future years, or who should have hosted this year.
“I think that maybe a rapper should host. Like Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, or Migos,” suggests Brooklyn.
“I really liked Bruno Mars’ performance in 2014. I would like to see Rihanna host in the future, though,” says Amani.
Despite being skeptical, Timberlake’s show will most likely still have hundreds of millions of views, due to the Super Bowl’s popularity and the novelty of the event, especially because it only happens once a year. Amani weighs in:
“The halftime show is the part most people look forward to when watching the game. I personally didn’t know anything about football until I watched my first Super Bowl. I was only there for the halftime show at first, but I actually liked the game itself in the end. So, maybe, [the show] is there to create new fans. Who knows?”
The Super Bowl will be hosted on Sunday, February 4, 2018. Although the teams may be undetermined, it seems that our halftime host will bring something new this year.
photo credit: www.variety.com