NFL is forming an ‘entertainment and social justice partnership’ with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation

According to multiple outlets, the deal with the firm calls for Jay-Z to be the NFL’s “live music entertainment strategist.” The mogul will also consult on the Super Bowl halftime show and contribute to the league’s activism campaign Inspire Change.

The NFL’s partnership with Jay-Z will make him and his Roc Nation a co-producer of the Super Bowl halftime show. The deal does not contain a provision for him to perform. Roc Nation also will choose performers for other NFL events and content.

Jay-Z once rapped: “I said no to the Super Bowl, you need me, I don’t need you.”

Now the hip-hop icon is the face of a new Roc Nation partnership with the NFL that effectively positions him as the face of the league’s social justice initiative.

Jay-Z, in an interview, said he has not spoken to Colin Kaepernick but noted “he absolutely brought this conversation alive” and that he hopes the initiative would give Kaepernick “a platform where he can express himself and maybe it doesn’t have to take place on the field.”