The 2 Live Crew’s Luther Campbell has been upset with Jay-Z ever since it was announced that Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are playing the halftime show at Super Bowl LIV, which takes place in Miami.
Campbell first wrote an op-ed piece in the Miami New Times that was published on Monday, where he criticized the Brooklyn-raised rapper.
Because in August, it was announced that Jay and his company Roc Nation would be handling the NFL’s entertainment, as well as halftime shows and he’d be working on a series of social justice initiatives with the league.
Campbell’s main beef is that an artist from Miami wasn’t chosen, and he feels disrespected because Jay didn’t personally consult with him about who would perform. The 2 Live Crew member also said local artists like Flo Rida, Rick Ross and Pitbull should’ve been tapped instead.
On top of that, Campbell said that black folks are being disrespected by Lopez and Shakira being named to perform, who he says doesn’t do anything for the local community.
“On the NFL Network, league officials said the show is going to promote Latin culture because Miami is all about Hispanic people,” he wrote. “That’s a slap in the face to the African-American community, which includes a diverse mix of Bahamian, Jamaican, and Haitian people.”
The 58-year-old then expounded on his op-ed during an interview on TMZ, which was published on Tuesday.
“They’re basically showing that, you know, ‘Hey look, let me go get a token black guy, throw him out there,'” Campbell stated. “It was specifically said that Jay-Z was going to advise the NFL on systemic racism and entertainment. Right now that’s an F.”
“And if he does not resign or they don’t make this right, then they’re actually using him,” he added. “Then he could be really considered as what a lot of people said, it was a sellout deal from the jump.”
But when Lopez and Shakira were announced as the Super Bowl halftime show performers last week, it was also reported that other acts will be playing too. But those artists haven’t been named yet.
