April 19, 2025 11:02 PM PDT
"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.", 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 Quinn Cook Jersey change? Why has the league now opened the door for rap?It all goes back to Jay-Z and Roc Nation.MORE: In 2017, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter turned down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl. he rapped, "I said no to the Super Bowl. You need me. I don't need you." 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 getme.' 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, in order to "enhance the NFL's live game experiences and amplify the Alfonzo McKinnie Jersey league's social justice efforts.""With its global reach, the National Football League has the platform and opportunity to inspire change acro s the country," Jay-Z said in a pre s 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 acro s America."Roc Nation's first halftime show featured Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, and it received largely positive reviews. Last year's version was headlined by The Weeknd, and though his performance received mixed reviews, it was an impre sive 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," . "You understand what I' Lonzo Ball Jersey m saying? We're gonna show exactly how profe sional 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:While Roc Nation has certainly made strides in improving the live game experiences, some critics believe it has mi sed the mark on its second goal.The NFL has recently come under fire after former Dolphins coach Brian Flores , alleging teams have engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. The Jerry West Jersey 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 oppre sion, and police brutality?Jay-Z and the NFL: Lets sell t-shirts and throw concerts. Thatll really shake up the system. Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) When asked about the Flores situation, Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez 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 Marc Gasol Jersey 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 me saging," 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."
"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.", 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 Quinn Cook Jersey change? Why has the league now opened the door for rap?It all goes back to Jay-Z and Roc Nation.MORE: In 2017, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter turned down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl. he rapped, "I said no to the Super Bowl. You need me. I don't need you." 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 getme.' 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, in order to "enhance the NFL's live game experiences and amplify the Alfonzo McKinnie Jersey league's social justice efforts.""With its global reach, the National Football League has the platform and opportunity to inspire change acro s the country," Jay-Z said in a pre s 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 acro s America."Roc Nation's first halftime show featured Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, and it received largely positive reviews. Last year's version was headlined by The Weeknd, and though his performance received mixed reviews, it was an impre sive 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," . "You understand what I' Lonzo Ball Jersey m saying? We're gonna show exactly how profe sional 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:While Roc Nation has certainly made strides in improving the live game experiences, some critics believe it has mi sed the mark on its second goal.The NFL has recently come under fire after former Dolphins coach Brian Flores , alleging teams have engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. The Jerry West Jersey 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 oppre sion, and police brutality?Jay-Z and the NFL: Lets sell t-shirts and throw concerts. Thatll really shake up the system. Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) When asked about the Flores situation, Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez 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 Marc Gasol Jersey 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 me saging," 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."