Kanye West, Eminem Both Too Costly For NFL Super Bowl Party
Kanye West wanted a million bucks to rap at a Super Bowl party hosted by the National Football League’s owners in February — but Eminem demanded twice that much.
Neither of them got the gig, the entertainment news web site TMZ reports.
The performance was supposed to take place after a dinner event in the week leading up to the Super Bowl, which is scheduled for February 2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The NFL has a raft of celebratory events planned for the build-up to the big game.
But even though the game will be played in the Garden State, most of the events, and out-of-town bucks, will be in New York City. And there will be a lot of out-of-town bucks. More than half-a-billion dollars are expected to pour into the region, Bloomberg News predicts.
NFL owners apparently did not want to shell out a comparatively paltry $2 million for Eminem. So after rejecting the 41-year-old rap superstar’s demands, they went to the next rap superstar on their list, the always-controversial Kanye West, 36.
Who knows if West’s recent, reported anti-Semitic remarks would have caused the owners to rethink their decision anyway? But West’s demand for $1 million, plus what an NFL source described to TMZ as “a lot of other perks,” preempted any chance that they would be forced to face the controversy over West’s comments.
West has an estimated personal net worth reported to be $100 million, as noted by The Huffington Post. Eminem’s net worth is estimated on the Celebrity Net Worth site as somewhat higher at $140 million. But adding in the reported net worth of West’s soon-to-be-wife Kim Kardashian, the power couple combined equals Eminem’s total.
The NFL party that both rap superstars turned down as paying too little is expected to be attended by 1,500 people. In other words, Enimen could have pocketed $1,333 for every person there to hear him rap. But West would gave taken home just $667 per head.
So what, exactly did the NFL owners hope to pay, and who could they get for their asking price? The answer is 28-year-old songstress Janelle Monae, who agreed to take the gig for what Eminem and West would likely consider pocket change, a scant $150,000 for the one-off show.
The February 2 clash between the yet-to-be-determined AFC and NFC champions will be the first time in the 48-year history of the Super Bowl that the mega-game has been played outdoors, in a cold-weather city.
A 197-year-old annual publication known for its long-range weather predictions, The Farmer’s Almanac, is warning that the outdoor Super Bowl may be more like a “Storm Bowl” and that the temperatures will be “piercing cold.” Or at least, that’s what the Almanac‘s managing editor told The Huffington Post.
Perhaps that’s the real reason both Kanye West and Eminem took a pass on this one.
