On Wednesday, it is expected that the National Football League and Roc Nation will be forming an entertainment and social justice partnership, which will include naming CEO of the company, Jay-Z – who just also happens one of the top 2 greatest rappers of all time, per the internet – as the live entertainment strategist. Some people have chalked the deal up as another notch on Hov’s GOAT belt, while others have been a bit puzzled, given his recent attitude towards the league in response to the blackballing of Colin Kaepernick. So here are 5 questions that might, and should, be asked within the next few days of this announcement.
1.What will halftime look like?
Before getting into the more serious aspect of this situation, this was probably the first question going off in people’s minds. The Super Bowl Halftime show is a big stage, but the performances have been lackluster in recent years. Two of the performers had to bring out other artists for their sets, such as when Coldplay brought out Beyonce and Bruno Mars and they took over the whole halftime show. Now you’re bringing in someone who is not only an iconic artist in his own right, but a mogul who holds a plethora of artists either signed to his record label or management company, transcending genres. There will be some hip hop on the frontlines of these performance opportunities, as nothing less would be expected.
2. To what extent does the social justice platform run? Expectations?
Now to the real issue at hand and that is the social justice initiative that will be implemented. In the wake of a post-kneeling NFL, the league has endured criticisms of how they handled the protests of racial injustice as well as how their owners have been perceived. Currently, the NFL has the Inspire Change program which focuses on education and economic advancement, police and community relations as well as criminal justice reform. According to NFL.com, this program was started earlier this year, so it’s fairly new. But with Jay-Z coming on board, where can this whole initiative really go.
Jay has kind of put his mark on the game in recent years when it has come to these matters. He produced the documentary about the late Kalief Browder, who was falsely accused of stealing a backpack and sent to Rikers Island for 3 years, with no trial, before being released and committing suicide. He made headlines when it was announced he was funding the legal team for rapper 21 Savage, when the Atlanta-based, British-born, emcee was facing deportation over an expired Visa.
3. Does this make Jay-Z look like a hypocrite?
Going back to the reference of a post-Kaepernick NFL, Jay-Z was not exactly on the side of the league at the time. The guy who once rapped his opponents were talking “real greasy on them R&B records” did the same to the league last year on the song, “Apeshit”, a collaboration with his wife, and former Super Bowl Halftime Show performer, Beyonce, off their duet album, Everything is Love. Hov raps, “I said no to the Super Bowl, you need me, we don’t need you.” It was a reference to when Jigga turned down the opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl in support of Kaepernick, who was still dealing with being passed over for a shot to play in the league. Hov even went so far as to reportedly try to derail rapper Travis Scott from his Super Bowl performance. But things can change quickly in 8 months, right?
The real question to be asked is what actually changed for this to come about? His stance seemed pretty strong about supporting Kaepernick, who still isn’t in the league. Could it be the perception that the former signal-caller may never receive another opportunity to play and there is a whole new slate for the NFL to begin fresh with going forward? On the surface, it looks like Jay-Z is helping the very people he was going against in some form or fashion. But it’s very early to see how all of this will pan out.
4. Who benefits more from this?
The NFL unanimously gets the win out of this deal. With the national anthem controversy dying down, the league has a chance to start on the right foot, while hoping to regain some of its black viewers, who may be returning from their own blackballing of the NFL. They’re getting a public figure who has been around long enough to establish credibility with the league’s adult side of their demographic and has still has some relevancy with the youth. Jay-Z is a music legend who has probably been in the headphones of quite a few hall-of-famers, and maybe even some of the game’s current superstars. In addition to that, their social justice efforts will be enhanced by someone who has recent experience with these issues and can give a more authentic direction on how these efforts should go.
Hov’s a legend, icon and all the great things you can name him; but he was going to be given those accolades even without this deal. However, without this partnership, the NFL may still be taking hits for their perceived attitudes towards causes that affect the players. This new formation is put in place to hopefully block that negativity and score some cool points with the fans again.
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