Jay-Z's Roc Nation remade the Super Bowl halftime show, but NFL's record on race casts long shadow
LOS ANGELES — The paint was still wet on the field at SoFi Stadium as Desiree Perez strode toward the 50-yard line, a pair of ringing-and-dinging smartphones tucked inside her boxy leather handbag.
Perez, the CEO of Roc Nation, superstar rapper Jay-Z's wide-ranging entertainment firm, had dropped in at the Inglewood stadium last week as part of preparation for the Super Bowl halftime show her company is producing for Sunday's game — an all-star hip-hop blowout featuring Dr. Dre, who helped pioneer West Coast rap while coming up in nearby Compton, along with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.
It was just past 8 a.m., but already there were set pieces to approve, musical mixes to hear, sight lines to investigate — and, as one NFL rep gently reminded Perez, freshly sprayed turf to avoid spiking with her stiletto heels.
"It's a lot of moving parts," she said of the elaborate production that will take place halfway through the Los Angeles Rams' championship battle against the Cincinnati Bengals. Behind Perez, 53, the words "END RACISM" stood out starkly against the vivid blue and white of the Rams' end zone. "But it's important
