Photo Credit: Johnny Such
Roc Nation and the Ryder Cup have officially inked a partnership deal under which acts including DJ Khaled will promote the golf competition’s forthcoming 2023 edition.
The nearly century-old golf event and the Sports International unit of Jay-Z-founded Roc Nation formally announced their “historic consultancy partnership” today. Ahead of the 44th Ryder Cup – the event takes place every two years, with the 2023 installment scheduled to kick off in Rome this September – Roc Nation will “use its extensive influence to showcase the drama and tension of” the happening, the involved parties said.
Said showcase is expected to consist specifically of “creative content” as well as “productions and strategic PR amplification,” with Roc Nation Sports International (RNSI) “utilising its best-in-class in-house resources as a 360 agency,” per the release from the Ryder Cup and the Duetti investor.
And as initially mentioned, the artist roster of Roc Nation (which celebrated the 10th anniversary of Roc Nation Sports earlier this year) is likewise poised to market the multiday event as part of the unique tie-up, creating and engaging “in Ryder Cup themed content for their followers.”
The initially noted DJ Khaled will be “front and center of the collaboration,” higher-ups relayed, communicating also that the 47-year-old, “who can’t get enough of the sport,” is set to “help tap into his audience and create a crossover moment.”
Addressing the deal and his affinity for golf in a statement, DJ Khaled, who appeared on the cover of Golf Digest last month, said: “Let’s go golfing! I’m super excited to be partnering with the Ryder Cup. I’ve been getting into my golf a lot more recently; it’s become a passion of mine. We’re about to take it up a gear. Believe that!”
In remarks of his own, Roc Nation president and chief of branding and strategy Michael Yormark, previously a Sunrise Sports and Entertainment/Florida Panthers exec, made clear that his current company intends to “help take the 2023 Ryder Cup to the next level as one of the biggest sporting events on the calendar.”
And Ryder Cup director Guy Kinnings, for his part, touted the perceived potential of “cross-over content that entices new, younger fans to watch and follow the event.”
In addition to the Ryder Cup partnership, Roc Nation (and PUMA) today unveiled “an exclusive mixtape project” that will feature “brand new music from the label’s hottest emerging rappers” as well as a second sneaker in the years-old Mixtape RS line.