Turkey Day is here. And with it comes the sweet sweet taste of touchdowns, tackles and hyper-consumerism that the NFL serves up during its annual slate of Thanksgiving Day games.
The Shield puts serious resources into their Thanksgiving matchups. Teams often drape themselves in ancient finery, while concerts adorn the intermissions. And that's not to mention the celebratory turducken.
It's a marketing daydream. And in that environment, it's not just the players who are asked to perform.
Athletes want to be artists. Artists want to be all-stars. But there's just one place where those two worlds mesh: the halftime show.
High-priority games get high-priority performers during the halftime break. This year's Turkey Day matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks are no exception; the NFL tapped up one of the most prolific artists in all of EDM to serenade the masses, Steve Aoki.
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Here's what you need to know about the world-acclaimed musician tasked with wrapping Lumen Field in a wall of noise on Thursday evening.
Who is Steve Aoki?
The son of an amateur wrestler-turned-restaurateur, Aoki has stardom swirling in his blood. But unlike his father, Rocky (who founded Japanese-influenced restaurant Benihana), or his sister, Devon (model/actor), Aoki found his calling on the Ableton, churning out world-renowned house music on his own label, Dim Mak (named after his idol, Bruce Lee).
Aoki’s near-30-year career has seen him reach the upper echelons of the music industry, collaborating with musical luminaries like Linkin Park, Lil Jon and Snoop Dogg. He was nominated for a Grammy for his 2013 album, “Wonderland”, which featured verses by noted lyricists LMFAO, will.i.am. and Chiddy Bang, among others.
Aoki has continued his ascent up the charts in the decade since, lending his services to remixes of "Girls" by Rita Ora and "Bella Ciao", a 19th-century Italian folk song crooned by paddy farmers protesting poor working conditions.
Album sales have made Aoki a very wealthy man. But it's his live performances — accentuated with him tossing cakes, spraying champagne and riding inflatable rafts amongst his fanbase — that has propelled Aoki into superstar status. He's a showman on the pulpit, delivering piercing hymns to stupefy concourses.
It's little surprise why Aoki — whose eighth album "Hiroquest 2: Double Helix" — was tipped to enliven the Seahawks faithful in the game's intermission. His reputation behooves him. After all, how many artists do you know who performed in a live Fortnite concert?
How old is Steve Aoki?
Born Nov. 30, 1977 in Miami, Aoki is currently 45 years old but will celebrate his 46th birthday a week from today.
Steve Aoki net worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Aoki is worth $120 million. He's got investments in a number of companies, including SpaceX, Uber and Vision Street Wear. It also doesn't hurt that he's one of the heirs to his father's Benihana fortune: the restaurant was sold for $300 million in 2012.
