Justin Timberlake Tells Why He Decided to Pay Tribute to Prince During His Super Bowl Halftime Show Performance

– blogged by: @ashleytearra⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Many people had lots to say about Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl LII halftime show performance, and this time, it wasn’t because of a nip slip.

During his set, the Tennessee-born crooner actually paid tribute to one of the most legendary entertainers of all time, Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson, right from the grounds of the U.S. Bank Stadium in Prince’s hometown, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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However, although the moment spoke remarkable volumes to a good majority, others questioned why Timberlake felt that he was even at liberty to honor Prince, particularly due to his decade-old feud with the “Purple Rain” singer.

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The musical conflict between the two began shortly after Prince made a comment about Timberlake’s 2006 single, “SexyBack”, at an Emmy Awards after party.  “For whoever is claiming they are bringing sexy back, sexy never left!” he said.

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Apparently, Timberlake caught wind of that and clapped back on Timbaland’s “Give It To Me” track. That following year, he also mimicked Prince’s height at the Golden Globes.

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Since then, the backlash has seemingly still followed Timberlake, even to this day. But, while making a post-Super Bowl appearance on ‘The Tonight Show’, the 37-year-old attempted to clear the air, opening up about why he felt that the tribute was so important to do. He also stated that he had actually gotten the “okay” from Prince’s longtime bud, Questlove.

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“Questlove is the encyclopedia of music, but I also feel like [he’s] a gatekeeper on Prince. So, if I got the thumbs-up from Questlove, I’m good,” Timberlake expressed. “It’s a moment for me, and if I’m being quite honest, it’s because [Prince has] always been the pinnacle of musicianship. He’s such a special [person] here [in Minnesota], aside from what he is all over the world. I just felt like I wanted to do something for this city and something for him that would just be the ultimate homage to what I consider the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) of musicians.”

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As you may know, Timberlake recently held the release party for his latest album, ‘Man of the Woods’, at Prince’s Paisley Park estate.

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According to TMZ, Prince’s sister, Tyka, says that she loved the performance and is sure that her brother would’ve loved it too.