For the fourth time in history, Atlanta will host the Super Bowl. On Oct. 15, the NFL announced that Atlanta won the bid to host the 2028 Super Bowl.
The bid was led by the Atlanta Sports Council in collaboration with the Atlanta Falcons, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Georgia World Congress Center Authority, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia.
In 2019, the Super Bowl brought in $400 million to the southeast region.
But beyond the economic impact and play on the field, the Super Bowl Halftime Show has become an event within itself. The anticipation of who will be chosen to take center stage for the biggest entertainment performance of the year has sparked debates and bets.
During the same week that Atlanta was announced as the 2028 host city, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell revealed that the league extended its collaboration with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Artists such as Usher, Rihanna, The Weeknd, and Shakira have performed.
This year, controversy followed after Kendrick Lamar was named as the headlining performer for Super Bowl LIX. With the Super Bowl taking place in New Orleans, some Bayou residents and members of Cash Money believed that Lil Wayne deserved the opportunity.
Traditionally, an artist’s proximity to the host city does not play a role in who performs at the Super Bowl. The one outlier was the 2022 Super Bowl when Los Angeles natives Snoop, Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar served as headliners along with Mary J. Blige, Eminem, and 50 Cent.
But in 2028, OutKast is the only obvious choice to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. So much of Atlanta’s success as America’s Black entertainment capitol can be traced to OutKast.
When OutKast released “Southernplayalistic” in 1994, Atlanta was born again. The city became another place. There was a new energy, a new vibe, a new approach to culture. Imagine being present when Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Paul Robeson were crafting their first pieces of work in what would become the Harlem Renaissance. OutKast’s debut album gave rise to Atlanta’s rap renaissance.
This time, the music felt different. They were telling our story. Atlanta finally had a voice in hip-hop, and in turn, a voice that needed to be respected worldwide. Indeed, “The South got something to say.” André 3000’s bold claim on a stage at New York’s Madison Square Garden was more than a cry for acceptance in hip-hop, it was call to action. OutKast would inherently express the stories of a city through music, and other creatives in Atlanta would become emboldened to express themselves in music, film, art, journalism, and business.
André 3000 and Big Boi haven’t hit the stage together for a performance in years. Big Boi continues to tour, most times with Sleepy Brown, while André is currently finding comfort as a flutist.
If, by chance, OutKast is unavailable in 2028, an ode to Atlanta hip-hop could feature Ludacris, T.I., Gucci Mane, Jeezy, Future, Gunna, Latto, Goodie Mob, Migos, Lil Baby, 2 Chainz, 21 Savage to promote the overall impact of the city’s music scene.
But OutKast should be the standard and the first choice.
An OutKast performance at Super Bowl 2028 would be a love letter to the city of Atlanta and a nod to the impact and influence that Atlanta’s culture continues to have on the world.
About Post Author
