Earlier today it was reported that Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by Jay-Z, has agreed to partner with the NFL as part of its Inspire Change platform.
Roc Nation will create & distribute music for the NFL, as well as work on "production, promotion, and marketing of live music events". Jay-Z will also advise on the selection of artists during the Super Bowl Halftime show.
In a nutshell, the NFL got Jay-Z -- one of the most influential men in the Black community -- to take care of its music & entertainment efforts.
Here's Jay's quote:
"With its global reach, the National Football League has the platform and opportunity to inspire change across the country. Roc Nation has shown that entertainment and enacting change are not mutually exclusive ideas -- instead, we unify them.
This partnership is an opportunity to strengthen the fabric of communities across America."
To be clear, we do not agree with this move!
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Before we move on, we must first say we did not speak to Colin Kaepernick or his representatives on what we're about to write. All we did was create this petition back in 2017. These opinions are strictly our own.
Jay-Z is a man highly respected in our community. He's done so many great things -- we can't name them all here. But this latest business move is a head-scratcher.
Maybe he & his team felt the NFL will always be huge no matter what...so instead of fighting them, it's better to partner with them to take advantage of what Black people have to say.
It's a noble move. But it also reinforces the "White Supremacy" narrative we've been trying to expose and fight lately.
Jay-Z could've used his Roc Nation platform to help another league needing a boost, like the Freedom Football League. That league (which we fully support) cares about players' rights, education & health from the jump, not when it's convenient.
Instead, someone as big as Jay-Z partnering up with the NFL will ultimately do 2 things:
- Minimize Colin Kaepernick's original message on why he took a knee (police brutality).
- Create Divide & Conquer within the Black community.
For #1, people are already asking "What does Colin Kaepernick have to do with this & why do we need his approval for social justice moves"?
Here's your answer: The truth is before Kaepernick took his knee the NFL didn't do a thing to address social issues. After Kaep took his knee (and the backlash that came with his banning) the NFL took a bunch of steps to address social issues. Like it or not Kaepernick is literally at the center of all this.
And if we're going to be real: We haven't seen any real change from these social donations/ announcements...just pandering for PR purposes. But that's just how the NFL (and the powers that be) like it.
For #2, many Black people as we speak are confused about this move. It's either "Shoutouts to Jay-Z for making boss moves" or "are we still for Kap or nah?". What follows is a never-ending debate on "what's right for the Black community", etc....
Meanwhile, the NFL knows they have influential figures like Jay-Z in their back pocket, so they feel they'll win in the end.
That's the Divide & Conquer we're talking about.
Once again to be clear, we support many things Jay-Z has done in our community. We really do. We just wished he never did a deal with the same league that banned Colin Kaepernick due to economic fears, because that's really the root to justify the NFL's action till this day.
We hope Jay will reconsider this agreement, but it seems the deal has already been made. So to each their own.
For everyone else who doesn't agree with Jay-Z's move and is confused on what to do next: Keep the fight alive ... and most importantly ... PLEASE THINK FOR YOURSELF! DON'T GET EASILY INFLUENCED BY CELEBRITY LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
That's how we lose in the end.
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And to that, for the 3rd year in a row, we say #NoKaepernickNoNFL. If you haven't watched a game since Kaep's been banned, then it shouldn't be hard for you to keep going strong!
For the 3rd year in a row:
#NoKaepernickNoNFL
#ImWithKap
Update: Jay-Z released a new statement about his move, which you can fully view here:
"I’m black. That’s my world,” he said, adding that if he didn’t do business with wealthy business interests who he may disagree with politically, “then I couldn’t have any TV shows. I couldn’t put my platform on TV because I’m sure someone who owns the broadcast network has supported someone who I don’t believe should be in office.
“I can’t control, no one can control the world that we live in currently and people’s choice to vote self interests,” he continued, referring to “very, very rich people.”
Update 2: Here's a new update, from Jay and NFL Commissioner on their partnership. Click here