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Justin slammed as 'disrespectful' over Prince Super Bowl projection

Sarah Carty
Updated

It was the moment Justin Timberlake has spent the past few months preparing for, but the singer has been slammed on Twitter for dueting with a Prince projection at the Super Bowl.

The 37-year-old Can’t Stop the Feeling! Crooner wowed at the 2018 Super Bowl halftime show by dancing and singing his way through a medley of some of his greatest hits.

However, it was a duet between Justin and a hologram of late icon Prince singing, I Would Die 4 U, that had everyone up in arms.

Justin Timberlake has been slammed for dueting with a Prince hologram at the Super Bowl halftime show. Photo: NBC
Justin Timberlake has been slammed for dueting with a Prince hologram at the Super Bowl halftime show. Photo: NBC
Justin sat at the piano while a sheet projected an image of Prince in the background. Photo: NBC
Justin sat at the piano while a sheet projected an image of Prince in the background. Photo: NBC

“Justin Timberlake: I've learned a lesson that profiting off hologram Prince is disrespectful to his memory,” one person said.

“Yo Justin Timberlake straight up disrespected Prince,” another person Tweeted.

“People that really loved Prince along with people that see how #JustinTimberlake has been a disrespectful #culturevulture don’t appreciate this bs,” a clearly disgruntled Twitter user said.

The unimpressed reaction online is likely to stem from an interview late star Prince gave many years ago, where he spoke out against virtual reality, claiming he would never be made into a hologram as he thought they were “demonic”.

"That's the most demonic thing imaginable," Prince said at the time.

"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. Also, what they did with that Beatles song ['Free As a Bird'], manipulating John Lennon's voice to have him singing from across the grave … that'll never happen to me.

The unimpressed reaction online is likely to stem from an interview late star Prince gave years ago, where he claimed he would never be made into a hologram as he thought they were “demonic”. Photo: NBC
The unimpressed reaction online is likely to stem from an interview late star Prince gave years ago, where he claimed he would never be made into a hologram as he thought they were “demonic”. Photo: NBC
Prince’s brother, Omarr Baker, even took to Twitter yesterday to claim there would never be a Prince hologram at the halftime show. Photo: NBC
Prince’s brother, Omarr Baker, even took to Twitter yesterday to claim there would never be a Prince hologram at the halftime show. Photo: NBC

“To prevent that kind of thing from happening is another reason why I want artistic control."

Prince’s brother, Omarr Baker, even took to Twitter yesterday to claim there would never be a Prince hologram at the halftime show.

“There was never any plans for Justin’s Super Bowl LII Halftime Show to include a hologram of Prince,” he wrote.

However, after the performance, Omarr Tweeted a definition of the term hologram and retweeted a fan saying that Justin’s performance was a “beautiful tribute.

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