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“We know a lot of people didn’t want hip hop on stage, but we’re here now. And there ain’t nothing you can do about it.”
Those are the words of Snoop Dogg, one of the five artists who will be taking the stage at SoFi Stadium for the Super Bowl 56 halftime show. Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige will be joining him, giving the 2022 show a decidedly hip-hop feel.
Selecting this group of music legends marks a significant shift in the NFL’s approach to its marquee event. For years, it was comfortable choosing old, safe rock bands. What led to this change? Why has the league now opened the door for rap?
It all goes back to Jay-Z and Roc Nation.
MORE: Complete history of Super Bowl halftime show performers
Jay-Z, Roc Nation begin working with NFL
In 2017, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter turned down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl. On the 2018 song “Apes—,” he rapped, “I said no to the Super Bowl. You need me. I don’t need you.” He told The New York Times in 2020 that he was unhappy the NFL wanted his show to include appearances by Kanye West and Rihanna.
“Of course I would have [performed with them],” Jay-Z said. “But I said, ‘No, you get me.’ That is not how you go about it, telling someone that they’re going to do the halftime show contingent on who they bring. I said forget it. It was a principle thing.”
Jay-Z’s history with the league made his next move quite surprising. His sports and entertainment company, Roc Nation, partnered with the NFL in 2019 in order to “enhance the NFL’s live game experiences and amplify the league’s social justice efforts.”
“With its global reach, the National Football League has the platform and opportunity to inspire change across the country,” Jay-Z said in a press release at the time. “Roc Nation has shown that entertainment and enacting change are not mutually exclusive ideas — instead, we unify them. This partnership is an opportunity to strengthen the fabric of communities across America.”
Jay-Z, Roc Nation have influence on Super Bowl halftime shows
Roc Nation’s first halftime show featured Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, and it received largely pos itive reviews. Last year’s version was headlined by The Weeknd, and though his performance received mixed reviews, it was an impressive accomplishment given the challenges of staging a huge show amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The hope for the company is that Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige can deliver on the Super Bowl stage and create more opportunities for those in the hip-hop community.
“We’re gonna open more doors for hip-hop artists in the future and making sure that the NFL understands that this is what it should have been a long time ago,” Dr. Dre said. “You understand what I’m saying? We’re gonna show exactly how professional we can be, how dope we can be on stage and how exciting we’re gonna be to the fans. We’re gonna let you know what it is.”
MORE: How much are Super Bowl halftime show performers paid?
Jay-Z, Roc Nation face criticism
While Roc Nation has certainly made strides in improving the live game experiences, some critics believe it has missed the mark on its second goal.
The NFL has recently come under fire after former Dolphins coach Brian Flores sued the league, alleging teams have engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. The NFL has faced questions about its social justice efforts since 2016 when former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem in order to protest racial injustice and police brutality. (Multiple artists have reportedly declined requests to perform at the Super Bowl in solidarity with Kaepernick.)
How do we stop racism, systematic oppression, and police brutality?Jay-Z and the NFL: Let’s sell t-shirts and throw concerts. That’ll really shake up the system.
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) August 30, 2019
When asked about the Flores situation, Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez told the Los Angeles Times that she was not surprised by the news.
“I know some owners; I don’t know every owner in the league. But just like the world, there’s a little bit of everything,” Perez said. “There’s people that stand for things that I don’t believe in. So I wouldn’t be shocked, out of 32 owners, that potentially there is a team ownership that doesn’t want a Black coach.”
The partnership between the NFL and Roc Nation is still relatively new, so it may be too early to evaluate how the company has impacted the league’s operations. Perez understands some may view arranging a hip-hop show for a league with a poor track record on diversity as “mixed messaging,” but she is looking at the bigger picture.
“We’ll take the harder, longer, rockier path, because this isn’t about walking away,” Perez said. “This isn’t about putting our heads down and saying, ‘We give up.’ This is about us speaking up and fighting back.”
Super Bowl 56 halftime show trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3NhX6-5mO0
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