JAY-Z companions with NFL as reside music leisure strategist
At all times keep in mind, JAY-Z isn’t a businessman, he’s a enterprise, man Not lengthy after changing into the world’s first billionaire rapper, he signed as much as be the chief model strategist of hashish firm Caliva. Now the hip-hop mogul has entered into one other high-profile partnership — with the NFL.
The New York Occasions experiences that the NFL and Roc Nation have signed a deal that makes JAY-Z the league’s “reside music leisure strategist.” The position will contain JAY-Z and his crew consulting on the Tremendous Bowl halftime present in addition to different league live performance occasions. That’s heartening information for these of us who’ve been disillusioned in latest lackluster Tremendous Bowl performances from the likes of Maroon 5 and Justin Timberlake.
What’s attention-grabbing concerning the deal, nonetheless, is that JAY-Z has been a vocal critic of how the NFL has dealt with the anthem kneeling protests and Colin Kaepernick’s obvious blackballing. In truth, the thrill in 2017 was that he turned down the halftime gig as an act of solidarity with the previous NFL quarterback.
(Learn: 10 Tremendous Bowl Halftime Exhibits We’d Prefer to See)
Which is probably going why the partnership is much from restricted to music programming. Roc Nation might be closely concerned within the league’s key social initiatives. That features the “Encourage Change” social justice marketing campaign, which makes donations to “teams combating for legal justice reform, alternatives in economically challenged areas and higher relations between the police and native communities.”
“The NFL has an amazing platform, and it must be all-inclusive,” JAY-Z instructed the Occasions. “They have been keen to do some issues, to make some adjustments, that we will do some good.”
“We don’t need individuals to come back in and essentially agree with us; we wish individuals to come back in and inform us what we will do higher,” mentioned NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “I feel that’s a core ingredient of our relationship between the 2 organizations, and with Jay and I personally.”
An official announcement might be made a press convention tomorrow. We’ll see if Hov may also help change the tradition of the NFL or result in extra artists being keen to work with the league once more.