Rihanna Played Kanye West Song During Super Bowl Halftime Show Despite Rapper's Antisemitism

Michael Hein

02/14/2023 05:59 pm EST

Rihanna's setlist for the Super Bowl halftime show included one Kanye West song, drawing some criticism and some sadness from fans. The singer played a medley of 12 of her most popular songs ever on Sunday night, including one chorus from "All of the Lights." Now, fans are debating whether she should have played the song in light of West's recent anti-Semitism.

Rihanna's Super Bowl setlist spanned her entire career, and "All of the Lights" from West's 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy definitely belongs on her greatest hits list. She only sang one chorus from the song between two others, ignoring Ye's part entirely. Halftime performers have often brought out surprise guests to perform collaborations like this, but thankfully Rihanna did not try to bring Ye up on stage. Still, this overt reference to him in her set put some fans on edge. Others simply mourned Ye's descent into controversy and the influence he once wielded.

Another concern with this movie was its benefit to Ye. On Monday morning, "All of the Lights" reportedly saw a notable spike in streams that put money into Ye's pocket. Some critics were also concerned that it may have softened the hearts of casual viewers, giving them an opening to forget his anti-Semitism and other hate speech.

Social media is still mulling over the nuances of Rihanna's performance – particularly the inclusion of this song. here's a look at how that conversation is going.

Panic

Some viewers admitted they had a moment of panic when they recognized the chorus of "All of the Lights," worrying that Ye might actually step out on stage.

Reclaiming

Many fans thought that Rihanna was trying to reclaim one of her biggest songs outside of Ye's influence here.

Ye's Reaction

Fans cracked some jokes as they imagined Ye watching the Super Bowl and realizing he had not been invited to perform his own song.

Outfit

Many fans also thought that Rihanna's bright red outfit was meant as a nod to Ye as well, although it's worth noting that plenty of other performers have dressed in bright yet for equally iconic performances.

'Girls'

One viral post compared Rihanna's "All of the Lights" performance to a famously awkward scene from Girls, joking that a Ye song simply does not work without him in it.

Support

Some fans chose to interpret Rihanna's performance as an outright show of support for Ye, and a report by The U.S. Sun claims that it was meant that way.

Chart-Topping

Finally, when "All of the Lights" returned to the charts on Monday morning many fans had mixed feelings.

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