10 Atlantans Who Should Have Been Asked to Perform at the Super Bowl
The National Football League (NFL) and sponsor Pepsi theoretically have a massive local candidate pool to draw from when selecting performers for the Super Bowl LIII halftime show, which will play out at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on February 3. But if the anonymous sources who spoke to Variety magazine yesterday (September 19) are correct, they somehow selected pop-rock band Maroon 5 to headline the internationally broadcasted concert. Sources also told Billboard that Bronx MC Cardi B and Houston rapper Travis Scott will join the Los Angeles-based band.
“It’s a Super Bowl tradition to speculate about the performers for the Pepsi Halftime Show," an unnamed NFL representative told Variety. "We are continuing to work with [longtime sponsor] Pepsi on our plans but do not have any announcements to make on what will be another epic show.”
The lack of formal confirmation failed to comfort critics like Atlanta's own Waka Flocka Flame or the many Twitter users who believe a game being played in a major Black cultural and economic center should reflect its homegrown Black musical legacy:
Maroon 5? With all the artists from Atlanta that are 100 times better? Somebody on the Super Bowl entertainment booking staff needs to be relieved of all duties, pronto.
— PoeticGenius916 (@CMont916) September 20, 2018
having the super bowl in atlanta and getting maroon 5 to perform at halftime is like going to pappadeaux and asking the waiter to bring you some long john silver’s https://t.co/tmtBfkX46C
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) September 19, 2018
not a fan of parallel universe where maroon 5 plays Atlanta super bowl show will be returning to version where Outkast plays but it isn't the super bowl just very long performance by Outkast
— Erica Hawkins (@ericachawkins) September 19, 2018
Assuming that they would even want to be associated with a league that punishes players for protesting police violence, here are 10 Atlantan superstars who would be a much better choice:
Ciara
Migos
Outkast
Xscape
Future
Childish Gambino
Keri Hilson
Usher
T.I.
TLC (But no Left Eye hologram, please.)