Last week, Jay-Z announced his entertainment and sports company, Roc Nation, was partnering with the NFL to coordinate entertainment and social justice work. Since the news broke, several have shared their opinions about it, including Bryan-Michael Cox.
» RELATED: Jay-Z partners with NFL for social justice work, Super Bowl halftime
During a recent interview with Loola TV, the Atlanta producer said his long-time collaborator Jermaine Dupri was offered a deal similar to the one one Jay-Z just accepted.
“It’s the same program. When we all had that meeting with the NFL, it was the exact same (expletive),” Cox said, noting he made a phone call to confirm the deals were the same. “The only difference is what Jay-Z is doing is he’s doing the actual Super Bowl halftime.”
Earlier this year, Dupri served as the music producer for Super Bowl Live in Atlanta, but Cox said Jay-Z told Dupri to turn down his arrangement.
“We’re also talking about a guy who single-handedly picked up the phone and called Jermaine to tell him not to do it,” he said. “[Dupri] took a beating for doing the same (expletive). And I guarantee you they didn’t pay him as much as they’re about to pay [Jay-Z].”
On Monday, Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex chimed in on social media to corroborate Cox’s story.
“I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH JERMAINE DUPRI,” he wrote on Twitter. “HE CONFIRMED THAT WHEN HE WAS WORKING WITH THE NFL LAST YEAR HE DID GET A CALL FROM JAYZ ASKING HIM.. ‘HOW DEEP ARE U IN WITH THE NFL?’ EXPRESSING... ‘THAT MIGHT NOT BE A GOOD IDEA.’”
Dupri has not released a statement about the claims.
» RELATED: Super Bowl 53: Jermaine Dupri will helm music for Super Bowl Live
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