Jay-Z was pictured attending Super Bowl LVII, where his protégé Rihanna put on a spectacular performance and announced during Sunday’s halftime show that she was pregnant with their second child.
The 53-year-old rap superstar, who brought along his 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter, and the 34-year-old Umbrella hitmaker have a relationship that dates back to 2005 when she signed with Def Jam when Jay-Z was president from was the company.
Rihanna’s halftime performance brought her onto the scene after a nearly seven-year hiatus from music and comes 18 years after she released her first single, Pon de Replay.
And although she’s now known as an international superstar, the Barbados-born star previously recalled that 18 years ago she was “shaking” as she waited to audition for Beyonce’s husband and was “locked in” the office until 3am .
The pair also weathered allegations that Jay-Z cheated on Beyonce with then-17-year-old Rihanna, although her former publicist later apologized and refuted the claim, saying he fabricated the rumor in hopes of getting Rihanna’s debut single to give boost.
Cheering her on: Jay-Z was pictured attending Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, where his protégé Rihanna put on a spectacular performance during the halftime show and revealed she was pregnant
They go way back: The rap superstar, 53, and the Umbrella hitmaker, 34, have a relationship dating back to 2005, when she signed with Def Jam when Jay-Z was president; Pictured 2005
In 2020, she recalled the meeting on her Instagram Stories, writing, “Feels like just yesterday I was shaking in the hallways of Def Jam waiting to audition for Jay.”
She previously spoke about the audition and described singing for Jay-Z, recalling being “very shy” and “cold all the time” in an interview with The Guardian.
“I was like, ‘Oh god, he’s right there, I can’t look, I can’t look, I can’t look!’ … I had butterflies. Sitting across from Jay-Z “Jay-Zee. I was blown away,” she revealed.
Rihanna performed Pon de Replay for the hip-hop mogul during the audition and a host of other songs.
She said the audition “went well” and she recalled how the label “locked me in the office — until 3am.”
Then she recalled what rapper Big Pimpin said to her: “And Jay-Z said, ‘There’s only two ways out. Get out the door after you sign that deal. Or through this window…” And we were on the 29th floor. Very flattering.”
Rihanna signed to Def Jam in 2005 at the age of 17 but left the label 5 years later.
She then re-signed with Jay-Z after he left Def Jam and started his own label, Roc Nation.
Pregnant! Rihanna has confirmed she’s pregnant with her second child after surprising fans with a baby bump during her much-anticipated comeback at Super Bowl 57 on Sunday
History: The Barbados-born star previously recalled that 18 years ago she was “shaking” while waiting to audition for Beyonce’s husband and was “locked in” at the office until 3am; Pictured 2005
How it started: “And Jay-Z said, ‘There are only two ways out. Get out the door after you sign that deal. Or through this window…” And we were on the 29th floor. Very flattering,” she recalled
Shy: She previously spoke about the audition and described singing for Jay-Z and recalled being “very shy” and “cold all the time” in an interview with The Guardian. Pictured 2005
Meanwhile, in 2005, a rumor began to swirl that Jay-Z – who was then dating his soon-to-be wife Beyonce – was having an affair with his musical protégé.
But Jay-Z and Beyonce shrugged off the cheating rumors and married in 2008.
And in 2015, Rihanna’s former publicist Jonathan Hay apologized for fabricating the rumor.
He was forced to issue a public apology after a explosive book claimed Beyoncé and Jay Z, who dated in 2000, broke up for a year due to Hay’s rumor.
The claims were laid bare in Becoming Beyoncé: The Untold Story, written by famed biographer J Randy Taraborelli.
Hay, who previously apologized to Jay Z, also apologized to Beyoncé in a statement to Inside Edition at the time: “I apologized to her… this whole thing is very awkward,” he told the New York Daily News.
Allegations: The pair also weathered allegations that Jay-Z Beyonce cheated on Rihanna, then 17, although her former publicist admitted he invented the rumor to give her first single a boost
Staying with Jay: Rihanna signed to Def Jam in 2005 at the age of 17 but left the label 5 years later. She then re-signed with Jay-Z after he started his own label, Roc Nation
“The pr stunt I did was out of desperation to help break pon de replay,” he said in his statement. “It was reckless and I didn’t think it would work. I just threw spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.’
On Sunday, Rihanna, who gave birth to her first child just nine months ago, caused a stir on social media when she took to the stage and rubbed her stomach in front of a worldwide audience of millions at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The Philadelphia Eagles meet the Kansas City Chiefs.
A star representative confirmed the baby news shortly after the show ended.
She shares her first child, who was born on May 13, 2022, with rapper A$AP Rocky, who was not initially pictured at the Super Bowl. The two have kept their growing family under the radar, and so far neither musician has shared their child’s name.
Rihanna kicked off the show on a platform high above the field belting out her single “B**** Better Have My Money.” She wore a baggy, scarlet jumpsuit that hid her curves and was belted loosely.
Rihanna stuck to the hits and didn’t reveal any new songs during her performance, which included 12 songs.
The Kansas City Chiefs eventually won their third NFL championship by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 behind an epic performance from superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who ultimately became MVP.
Sweet: The rap superstar took his and Beyoncé’s 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter to the Super Bowl on Sunday