#JanetJacksonAppreciationDay Takes Over Ahead of Justin Timberlake’s Halftime Show

Black Twitter wasted no time going in on Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl halftime show. The man responsible exposing Janet Jackson’s breast took the stage Sunday, Feb. 4 and although he didn’t have the singer or Prince included the way it had been rumored he would, he still managed to nod to the two in ways that didn’t sit well with many.

Jackson confirmed Saturday that she definitely will not be joining Timberlake during his performance, but Black Twitter celebrated her anyway by declaring Super Bowl Sunday #JanetJacksonAppreciationDay. They honored her by discussing their favorite videos and songs — and even ex-boyfriend Jermaine Dupri got in on the action.

Yet Jackson wasn’t completely absent from Timberlake’s show.

The singer performed “Rock Your Body” — the same single he did 14 years earlier with Jackson as a feature. Except for this time, he stopped short of singing the infamous lyric, “Bet I’ll have you naked by the end of this song,” at the 2:43 mark.

Naturally, folks were fired up.

https://twitter.com/katricelamorrai/status/960322704980267015

https://twitter.com/ellaceron/status/960323127069761536

Timberlake had also been rumored to be including a hologram of Prince in his show, as Super Bowl LII was hosted in Minneapolis, Minn., the Purple One’s hometown.

Long-time Prince collaborator and ex-fiancée Shelia E. expressed disdain for the idea and later assured fans there won’t be a hologram included in the mini concert.

She also told Entertainment Tonight Sunday, that Prince “thought [a hologram] was very demonic and that’s his spiritual beliefs.”

That’s also something Prince spoke to himself in a 1998 interview with Guitar World.

“That’s the most demonic thing imaginable,” he said. “Everything is as it is, and it should be. If I was meant to jam with Duke Ellington, we would have lived in the same age. That whole virtual reality thing… it really is demonic. And I am not a demon.”

Yet, Timberlake still included Prince in his show, sitting down at the piano at the 8:57 mark and duetting with a projection of Prince on “I Would Die 4 U.”

It didn’t go over well with fans.

https://twitter.com/KaraRBrown/status/960324431301132288

 

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