Shortly after many slammed Jay-Z for partnering with the NFL to help with its entertainment and social justice programs, he’s being criticized for something he said in January.
The clip is from an event where Jay talked about The Reform Alliance, the organization he established with Meek Mill and others to help with criminal justice reform.
Not much was made of the video when it first surfaced, but many are now using it to back their point that Jay was wrong for partnering with the NFL since Colin Kaepernick isn’t on a team.
The quarterback hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2016 after he began protesting police brutality and racism by kneeling for the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Some have also implied that Jay doesn’t have a clear understanding of what Kaepernick protested and his words in the clip are proof.
“You think about the idea of growing up in a single parent house, which I grew up in, which Meek grew up in,” said Jay. “And having at first a feeling for authority, right? You’re father’s gone. So you’re like ‘I hate my dad. Nobody tells me what to do. I’m the man of the house.'”
“And then you hit the street and you run into a police officer. And his first thing is ‘Put your hands up, freeze/ Shut up,'” he continued. “And you’re like, excuse my language everybody, you’re like ‘F–k you.’ So that interaction causes people to lose lives.”
Afterwards, the comment section underneath one of the clips lit up.
“This is the analysis you develop when u do not read any of the work done by serious thinkers on the issue,” someone tweeted on Aug. 31. “This is really dumb sh–.”
“This is the analysis you develop when you’ve been completely separated from real people by your wealth for many years,” another person followed.
“So what’s the excuse for when the police kill/shoot/abuse those who come from 2 parent households?” someone else asked.
Plus, there were people who blamed others for looking at celebrities as black leaders.
“We all kinda bear responsibility for this,” one person wrote. “We forced celebrities to comment on issues, financially and socially rewarded them handsomely for it, and then acclaimed them as community leaders for it. All the while never verifying or qualifying their actual knowledge or expertise.”
At the same time, some flat-out agreed with Jay and thought people were making a gratuitous choice to come down on him.
“There also are serious thinkers who have come to conclusions along these lines,” one person wrote. “Rather than being dismissive of a new idea to you, maybe you should first examine its merits.”
Jay hasn’t commented on the backlash over his comments or the criticism over the NFL deal yet.
Last week, the first leg of the deal was announced, which will be a line of apparel being released along with a series of concerts being organized. The proceeds of the apparel line will help fund social change programs throughout the United States.
