JAY-Z is addressing critics over his decision to partner with the NFL in an entertainment and social awareness campaign after he criticized the league for blackballing Colin Kaepernick, who caused controversy when he kneeled during National Anthem to protest racial inequality.
Last August, JAY spoke about his Roc Nation partnership with the league during a press conference with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
When asked about Kaepernick during the conference he said, “I think that we forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice so in that case this is a success — this is the next thing. There’s two parts of protest: the protest, and then there’s a company or individual saying ‘I hear you, what do we do next?’ For me it’s about actionable items, what are we gonna do about it? We get stuck on Colin not having a job, you know what I’m saying? And this is more than that.”
“I support any protest that’s effective,” he continued. “I’m into action, I’m into real work — I’m not into how it looks from the outside. If protesting on the field is the most effective way, then protest on the field. But if you have a vehicle that can inspire change and speak to the masses at the same time, it’s hard to steal the narrative away.”
Today (Mar. 13), JAY is addressing the criticism once again in Jay Electronica’s new song, “Flux Capacitor.”
He rapped, “Why would I sell out? I’m already rich, don’t make no sense/ Got more money than Goodell, a whole NFL bench/ Did it one-handed like Odell, handcuffed to a jail/ I would’ve stayed on the sideline if they could’ve tackled that shit themselves.”
Social media users have taken to Twitter to react to JAY’s bars.
“Jay Z didn’t explain his NFL move via an interview or social media, he just dropped a quick 16 and told us to shut the fuck up, nothing but respect for my GOAT,” one user tweeted.
What do you think about JAY’s partnership with the NFL?