Super Bowl: From Partner to Headliner – What Lies Behind Jay-Z’s Strategy

His first asset is an audience ready to follow him. Enough to stand up to established players. In 2006, The Economist asked Frédéric Rouzaud, head of Louis Roederer, whether the ‘bling’ image of hip-hop associated with his Cristal champagne might be damaging to the brand. ‘What do you expect? We can’t stop people from buying it,’ he replied. Jay-Z deemed these remarks racist and boycotted the house.

In the music video for Show Me What You Got, he sends a bottle of Cristal back and is served an Armand de Brignac, a then-unknown champagne that he would go on to popularise. Priced between 299 and 349 CHF, its Brut Gold targets the high end of the market. Jay-Z bought the brand, which eventually attracted the attention of Moët Hennessy. The LVMH subsidiary praised his ability to shake up the conventions of the champagne world, reports Decanter, and acquired half the business in 2021 to take charge of its global distribution. Fifteen years after being snubbed by Cristal, the rapper has joined forces with the world’s leading luxury group.

The same logic applies to music. In 2017, he removed most of his albums from Spotify in favour of his own streaming platform, Tidal. Each time, he mobilises his audience in support of an alternative that he controls.

Between 2016 and 2019, the NFL went through a public relations crisis. Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to protest against police brutality, and was subsequently unable to find a club from 2017 onwards. The league was accused of sidelining him because of his protests, and the half-time show struggled to attract big-name stars. Rihanna turned down the invitation.

Jay-Z also said no, in his own way. In an interview with the New York Times, he explained that he had refused to let the league dictate his guest list, calling it “a matter of principle”. His stance carried weight, as other artists followed his lead.

The NFL then needed him, both to secure artists and to regain credibility on social issues. In 2019, the league entrusted Roc Nation with producing the half-time show and linked it to Inspire Change, its social justice programme. “We’ve moved beyond taking a knee; it’s time to take action,” Jay-Z explained when announcing the partnership. His influence is now channelled through a contract – what French and Raven call legitimate power.

Since then, Roc Nation has worked with the league to decide who takes to the country’s biggest stage, from Shakira and Jennifer Lopez to Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny. Even Rihanna, who had previously declined the invitation, performed there in 2023. A kingmaker’s role.

The league acknowledges this power in its official statement. “When we finalised the agreement with Roc Nation to produce the show, I had just one request: that Jay-Z take to the stage himself one day, when the time felt right to him,” says its commissioner, Roger Goodell. For French and Raven, holding power means being able to influence the behaviour of others. In this case, it is the NFL that is deferring to the artist’s schedule.

On 14 February, Jay-Z will not only be defending his place as an artist. He will also embody the power that Roc Nation has secured behind the scenes.