This week in music: Jay-Z's Super Bowl, Chris Brown sentenced, Drake (Oct. 25-31, 2026)

Jay-Z was named the Super Bowl LXI halftime headliner on Oct. 26, 2026, the same day a London judge handed Chris Brown a suspended eight-month sentence, according to IBTimes UK and CBS News via KYMA. Drake closed the week with a lawsuit dropped and 11 albums on the Billboard 200. Here is what was verified from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31.

What we know

Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl LXI halftime show

The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Jay-Z as the halftime performer on Oct. 26 during the Cowboys-Eagles Monday Night Football broadcast, IBTimes UK reported. The show is Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Roc Nation has helped pick halftime acts since its 2019 NFL deal, so this is the first time the man doing the booking books himself. In his own statement, he called the gig a dream come true after 30 years of music, per IBTimes UK.

The self-booking debate, and Jay-Z's answer

NPR's Rodney Carmichael spent his Oct. 27 column asking whether Jay picking himself is "a crowning achievement or a final affront" (NPR via WAER). Jay-Z himself said in 2024 that choosing himself too early would look selfish. Asked by a photographer in New York on Oct. 27 whether he felt pressure, he laughed it off with "I don't have pressure," per IBTimes UK, which cited TMZ.

Chris Brown gets a suspended eight-month sentence

This is the confirmed court record. At Southwark Crown Court on Oct. 26, Judge Tony Baumgartner gave Brown eight months, suspended for 12 months, for affray over the Feb. 19, 2023, attack on producer Abraham Diaw at Tape nightclub in Mayfair (IBTimes UK). Brown and his vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu pleaded guilty to affray in July after more serious charges were dropped. Akinlolu got four months, also suspended, and both were ordered to pay £1,500 in costs. Per CBS News, Brown avoids prison unless he commits another offense in that 12-month window.

Drake's 'Janice STFU' copyright suit is dropped

Producer-songwriter Aviel Calev Hirschfield filed a notice in federal court on Oct. 27 dismissing his suit over the ICEMAN track, XXL reported from documents it obtained. He had sued on Oct. 16, claiming Drake used a chorus he wrote. The dismissal is without prejudice, so he can refile. Drake's team had called the claims "categorically, unequivocally, and completely denied."

Drake has 11 albums on the Billboard 200

Drake has more albums on the current Billboard 200 than any other artist, from Thank Me Later to HABIBTI, XXL reported from Luminate data. HABIBTI leads his pack at No. 7, a spot also shown on the Official Charts listing, followed by ICEMAN at No. 12 and Take Care at No. 18. Kendrick Lamar has three on the same chart: GNX, DAMN. and good kid, m.A.A.d city.

Context

Jay-Z has shaped every halftime show since 2019 without taking the stage himself. Now he headlines one in a year that also marked 30 years of Reasonable Doubt, which is why the self-selection question will follow him straight to February.

Brown's case ends a London process that began with his May 2025 arrest in Manchester. He was let out on £5 million in security, which kept his Breezy Bowl XX tour going, per CBS News.

For Drake, the week stacks on the 350 million certified units milestone we covered in last week's recap. Friday's releases, led by BigXthaPlug, are in our New Music Friday roundup.

What's unconfirmed

• Drake's next record deal. On Oct. 29, DJ Akademiks said on One Night With Steiny that Drake is set for the biggest record deal advance ever, after a UMG deal reportedly worth $400 million, per XXL. Neither Drake nor UMG has confirmed any new deal.
• Drake's 2026 sales lead. The Source reports Drake leads all rappers this year with 11.7 million album units, citing a Hip Hop All Day tally, not a published Luminate report.

Who wins the week: Jay-Z's Super Bowl news or Drake's 11 albums?