Geno Smith #7 of the New York Jets throws during warmups for a game against the Oakland Raiders at MetLife Stadium on September 7, 2014 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith was one of the first professional athletes to sign with Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports when he was drafted out of West Virginia University in 2013. To preview the new NFL season, Billboard already spoke to a bunch of NFL players about their pump-up music, but given Smith’s ties to the music industry, we were eager to hear what he had to say.
The Jay Z client is a big Hova supporter, but that’s not where his tastes end. On the red carpet at Tuesday night’s NFL Hall of Fashion event in Manhattan, Smith listed what he bumps to get psyched before football:
“I listen to Jay Z, some Kanye, and I mix it up — some rock and roll, a little bit of jazz.”
The last concert attended by the second year signal caller was Jay Z and Beyonce’s On the Run tour at the Met Life Stadium, where he got to play the spectator on the New York Jets’ home turf for a change.
He was in VIP, of course. “You can go to any concert you want,” he tells Billboard on the perks of being signed to Roc Nation.
NFL Players Talk Music: What’s On Their Pre-Game Playlists?
But he hasn’t yet partied with Jay Z — their relationship has been all business so far. “I’m usually busy, he’s usually busy,” Smith says. “We got work to do.”
Smith’s New York Jets put in work in Week 2 of the 2014 season, almost knocking off the favored Packers in Green Bay. After beating the Raiders in Week 1, their record sits at 1-1 with a matchup against the Chicago Bears coming Sept. 22.