Updated Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, 11:10 a.m. EST: After what proved to be some serious blowback after rumors that Justin Timberlake would be using a Prince hologram for his Super Bowl halftime show, longtime Prince collaborator Sheila E. confirmed last night that there would be none.
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Sheila E. said that she spoke to Timberlake on Saturday night, and he assured her that there would be “no hologram” during the show, which takes place in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis.
Before that conversation, Sheila E. took to Twitter to say that she was not cool with J.T.’s purported plans, writing, “Prince told me don’t ever let anyone do a hologram of me. Not cool if this happens!”
As many noted on social media, Prince himself has called holograms “demonic” and said he wasn’t down with them in any way, shape or form.
Earlier:
We don’t know who is advising Justin Timberlake on his career moves, but whoever it is, they’re fucking up again.
This time, word is that he will be using a hologram of Prince during his Super Bowl halftime show because the big game is taking place in Minneapolis, the Purple One’s hometown.
Folks are already up in arms over this bit of news, including The Glow Up’s Maiysha Kai, a Minneapolis native who insists that Timberlake is a habitual black-appropriation line stepper.
“This dude has taken commodifying black artistry and imagery to inexcusable levels,” says Kai. “Repeatedly.”
And then, “Is he going to pull Prince’s holographic shirt off, too?”
According to TMZ, the halftime show will feature a hologram of Prince, who did the Super Bowl halftime show in 2007. Pitchfork reports that Prince’s sister floated the idea of a hologram for the Super Bowl last April. But many fans insist that the icon never wanted to be a hologram.
Family or no, Twitter (and folks on this team) ain’t feeling it.
And on that note, this is what folks imagine Prince has to say about J.T. performing with him:
Or, little boy, don’t you dare imagine you are worthy of the same stage as Prince. Evah.
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