Jay-Z extends his controversial partnership with the NFL
Jay-Z has been partnered with the NFL for a long time and it looks set to continue into the future. When the Brooklyn rapper first teamed up with the league in 2019, he received a lot of backlash for striking the deal, considering the NFL’s response to Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 kneeling protest.
Regardless of public opinion, he went ahead with a five-year partnership rumoured to be worth $25 million. The deal saw Roc Nation take control of the Super Bowl Halftime Show and boost the league’s Inspire Change initiative, which, to date, has given out over $375million in grants to aspiring football players from disadvantaged backgrounds.
That said, Jay-Z and the NFL have been receiving a lot of backlash from the public for their decision to give next year’s Super Bowl halftime show to Kendrick Lamar. The event will take place in New Orleans, and, considering his achievements, many believe that the opportunity should have been given to the Louisiana legend Lil Wayne.
The Super Bowl will, most likely, never be held in New Orleans again in Lil Wayne’s lifetime, and hip-hop has perceived it as grossly unfair, considering the emcee’s vast achievements compared to Lamar’s.
Since Jay and Roc Nation took over the coveted Super Bowl Half Time slot, they’ve picked mostly hip-hop-centric acts, with Shakira, J Lo, The Weeknd, Dr Dre and friends, Rihanna, and Usher all hitting the stage. As a result of the Super Bowl’s success since Jay took control, Hov’s partnership has been renewed.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell praised Roc Nation and its CEO Desiree Perez at a league owners meeting in Atlanta, saying: “It’s been a mutually positive relationship,” adding, “I’m not sure either one of us really spend much time talking about contracts. Jay is happy. Desiree Perez is happy. I’m happy, so we’re all good.”
The continuation of the partnership has put Jay-Z’s decision concerning Kendrick Lamar back on the news agenda, and powerful cultural icons like Nicki Minaj, Birdman and Cam’Ron have publicly called out Hov for his decision to snub Lil Wayne.
Neither Hov nor Kendrick have yet addressed the controversy, and it’s doubtful either will make a statement regarding the decision.