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The Super Bowl halftime show was at a low point in 2019. Despite an unrivaled television audience, Rihanna turned down the National Football League\u2019s invitation to perform, keeping solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the exiled quarterback<\/a> who had repeatedly knelt during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.<\/p>\n The pop band Maroon 5 headlined instead, underwhelming nearly 100 million television viewers. Jon Caramanica, a music critic for The New York Times, called it \u201can inessential performance\u201d<\/a> that was \u201cdynamically flat\u201d and \u201cmushy at the edges.\u201d<\/p>\n The N.F.L. was quick to respond, courting Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by the billionaire rapper Jay-Z, in an attempt to strengthen its music and social justice initiatives<\/a>. Over the past six years, Roc Nation has prioritized hip-hop and R&B, bringing rap to the Super Bowl spectacle<\/a> for the first time with a celebratory 2022 performance<\/a> by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent. Sunday\u2019s show will feature Lamar and the guest star SZA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe N.F.L. needed to do something to bring life to what is supposed to be their signature event, and that was accomplished,\u201d said Jemele Hill, a writer for The Atlantic who is producing an ESPN documentary on Kaepernick with the director Spike Lee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n An overdue emphasis on hip-hop and R&B \u2014 Usher and the Weeknd have also headlined under Roc Nation \u2014 means that other genres have been sidelined. Country music is ascendant culturally<\/a> but has rarely been part of the Super Bowl; halftime shows by Coldplay and Lady Gaga feel long in the past.<\/p>\n Nick Holmsten, the former global head of music at Spotify, said he could foresee a backlash if the spotlight did not widen. He questioned the wisdom of employing one long-term partner that might approach the task through a narrow lens. (Apple Music has partnered<\/a> with the N.F.L. since the 2023 Super Bowl.)<\/p>\n \u201cThere are some other candidates that have gained tremendous success in the last year that could have been an option,\u201d Holmsten said. He added, \u201cEven if hip-hop for the last decade has taken the front position, there are still a lot of genres in this country that are massive.\u201d<\/p>\n To this point, Roc Nation has not brought a giant country star like Carrie Underwood or Morgan Wallen, who might appeal to different audiences, to the Super Bowl stage. Shania Twain performed with No Doubt in 2003, a rare presence for country music.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Roc Nation and the N.F.L. declined to comment to The Times. But in a recent interview with The Times-Picayune of New Orleans<\/a>, the city hosting this year\u2019s game, the chief executive of Roc Nation, Desiree Perez, said she \u201ccan\u2019t wait until we get some country music\u201d and noted that Jay-Z\u2019s wife, Beyonc\u00e9, on her album \u201cCowboy Carter\u201d had collaborated with Dolly Parton<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s definitely something we are working on \u2014 to make sure that we\u2019re covering all kinds of music,\u201d Perez said.<\/p>\n Roger Goodell, the N.F.L.\u2019s commissioner, said in October that its \u201cmutually positive\u201d partnership with Roc Nation would continue.<\/p>\n Selecting a halftime artist is a complex equation for the N.F.L., which has plans for international expansion<\/a> and wants to reach as many demographics as possible.<\/p>\n Early Super Bowl shows featured marching bands from historically Black colleges and universities<\/a>, while the 1990s was filled with superstars like Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder. After Justin Timberlake accidentally exposed Janet Jackson\u2019s breast<\/a> in 2004, the N.F.L. pivoted to classic rock: Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen.<\/p>\n Now it is the Roc Nation era.<\/p>\n Genres are fluid and the country\u2019s musical tastes shift over time. Last weekend, Lamar won five Grammys for his diss track \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d<\/a> including for song and record of the year \u2014 only the second time a rap song won in those categories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Todd Boyd, a race and pop culture professor at the University of Southern California, said he felt Roc Nation\u2019s selections had been prudent.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/em>I think you can be focused and relevant and of the moment and at the same time, potentially include other styles,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cOver time, it\u2019ll automatically work itself out.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Beyond the debate over performers, some critics say the N.F.L.\u2019s partnership with Roc Nation has not improved the league\u2019s track record on social justice.<\/p>\n Three years ago, a coach sued the N.F.L. for what he calls racially discriminatory hiring practices<\/a> (it said the claims were \u201cwithout merit\u201d); the league is also under investigation by attorneys general in New York and California for allegations of workplace discrimination and pay inequities<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a 2019 news conference, Jay-Z said he wanted to work with the N.F.L. on \u201cactionable items\u201d that went beyond symbolic demonstrations like kneeling<\/a>. Roc Nation helps with the N.F.L.\u2019s \u201cInspire Change\u201d initiative, which donates tens of millions to charitable organizations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe N.F.L. is more than happy to throw a check at something,\u201d Hill said. \u201cWhat they wanted to stop is the conversation, the sense of accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Super Bowl halftime shows produced by Roc Nation have not been without controversy. Eminem knelt onstage<\/a> in what was widely interpreted as a nod to Kaepernick. And Jennifer Lopez\u2019s manager said in a Netflix documentary<\/a> that N.F.L. officials expressed displeasure with portions of her 2020 show over concerns it was making a statement about immigration policies<\/a>.<\/p>\n Boyd said musicians regularly tackled cultural issues in their work, which clashes with the sports league\u2019s apolitical objective.<\/p>\n \u201cThe N.F.L. isn\u2019t trying to sell records,\u201d he said. \u201cThey just want people to watch the Super Bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n