To downplay Jay-Z's influence is preposterous.
Jay-Z is THE wealthiest music artist in the world, with Forbes estimating his net worth at $2.5 billion in 2024.
In fact, Jack Dorsey, owner of Twitter, was putty in Jay-Z's hand in a terrible 2021 acquisition deal for Dorsey of Jay-Z's streaming platform, Tidal.
So there is no denying Jay-Z has enourmous power over all that he touches and oversees.
In regards to the S.B H/Time Show, and his influence....
Snippets posted below from this U.SA article...
'...Jay-Z in fact, is
reshaping the image of the NFL in ways no one ever has. He is unabashedly injecting Black culture into the league's Super Bowl bloodstream...
It was five years ago when Jay-Z's Roc Nation entered into a partnership with the NFL.
The NFL said at the time...
"Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by rapper and businessman Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter, is entering into a multiyear partnership with the NFL to enhance the NFL's live game experiences...."
What's happened since? ...
His "social justice efforts" remain non-existent.
The live game experience part? That's completely different.
During his initial press conference in 2019, he sat next to Commissioner Roger Goodell and said:
“I think we’ve moved past kneeling. I think it’s time to go on to actionable items....
"I'm really into action – I'm into real work. I'm not into how it looks. How it looks only lasts for a couple months until we start doing the work. I've been in this position many times."
..Jay-Z continues to engineer how the NFL presents itself to the public by utilizing the popularity of its biggest event, the Super Bowl... by pushing through rappers in the NFL's premier event ...
That the NFL's mostly conservative owners are allowing Jay-Z to have this type of influence has been a remarkable thing to watch.
The
latest proof of this came when the NFL,
Roc Nation and
Apple Music announced that Kendrick Lamar will captain this year's Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Jay-Z, who is
co-producer of the halftime show, said in a statement:
“Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer. His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision. He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”
There are some NFL owners who'd probably rather watch Kid Rock perform...So the fact Jay-Z keeps pushing through rappers in the NFL's premier event is a stunning thing. The League doesn't seem content with a football game, it wants to be a factor in the culture game. Specifically, the Black culture game....The
NFL wants to use
Black culture (Rap) as fuel to attract younger fans who do embrace it....'