One thing is for certain: we can never say Jay Z wasn’t upfront about exactly who he was from the moment he hit us with “Dead Presidents”. Since the day he came in the door, Jigga masterfully branded himself as a hustler’s hustler who made his way from “Marcy to Madison Square.” Throughout the years we’ve seen him undergo a re-branding, reinvention and resurgence, but the trait that has remained constant in this evolution is his hustler’s spirit. It’s this spirit that built a multi-million dollar empire with Roc-a-fella Records (with Dame Dash and Kareem Biggs, respectively), started a flourishing clothing line with Rocawear, allowed him to become the first non-athlete with an endorsement deal for his own line of athletic sneakers, thrusted him into the corporate world as President for Def Jam Records, landed him a partnership with Anheuser-Busch, solidified a $150 million deal with Live Nation which ultimately led to the creation of his most current empire: Roc Nation.
This is why we champion him. This is also why it may lead one to inquire about the motives behind the moves he makes, and specifically – how does he balance what’s best for his bottom line, versus what is best for the society he has such an influence on?
Recently, Jay Z, along with Meek Mill made headlines about trying to talk Travis Scott out of performing at the NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show in support of Colin Kaepernick. It should be noted that just a few years ago Jay Z turned down a Super Bowl performance as well. It is also worth noting that the Super Bowl doesn’t pay artists to do the Halftime shows. There is no financial gain, simply exposure.
Here’s where it gets tricky: Jay Z the artist has been in full support of Colin Kaepernick and his silent kneeling protest. However, Jay Z the agent and Founder of Roc Nation Sports represent a few big names in the NFL – Victor Cruz, Dez Bryant, Geno Smith and Todd Gurley to name a few. It is Roc Nation’s job to look out for the best financial interests of their clients, which translates to dollars for Roc Nation/Jay Z. It’s in Jay’s best interest for his NFL clients (and all clients) to do well. Because of this, Jay Z hasn’t fully boycotted the NFL: he attends games and collects a regular check from them while protesting them at the same time.
More recently, Jay Z and Meek Mill teamed up with New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft, and Philadelphia 76ers Owner Michael Rubin to for the foundation of a criminal justice reform organization called REFORM Alliance, which will be led by CNN host and former adviser to President Barack Obama, Van Jones who coincidentally is a Roc Nation client. In addition to the REFORM Alliance, the NFL recently gave a $500,000 donation on behalf of Travis Scott, to the non-profit organization, Dream Corp, which Van Jones is also a Founder and Board Member.
So how does Jay Z balance the tug-of-war of Corporate America and Social Justice?
On one hand, he can be credited for providing extremely thought-provoking and uplifting content in his music, particularly from his most recent 4:44 album regarding black financial empowerment:
“Generational wealth, that’s the key. My parents ain’t have shit, so that ship started with me. My Mom took her money, she bought me bonds. That was the sweetest thing of all time.” – “Legacy”
“Please don’t die over the neighborhood that ya momma renting…” – “Story of OJ”
“Feared for you bro, we know the system don’t work. Take a young nigga’s freedom over some dirt. Yet it’s legal in Colorado. Yeah, we deny black entrepreneurs, free enterprise.” – “Smile”
He understands that many of the solutions to the current issues in the black community hinge on positioning themselves in roles of financial power in order to obtain ownership.
On the other hand – he has always been very unapologetic in his claim to being a hustler:
“I’m just a hustler disguised as a rapper…” – “The Prelude”
“I’ll sell ice in the winter, I’ll sell fire in hell/ I am a hustler baby, I’ll sell water to a well…” “U Don’t Know”
“I’m a hustler homie, you’re a customer, crony…” – “Dirt Off Ya Shoulders”
Question is – if Hov is in fact the hustler he asserts himself to be, how do we know this latest headline isn’t just another hustle that is good for business? How can we be assured this isn’t just to simply feed into his brand? And most importantly – should we care?
Let me explain.
On the Black Album Jay famously admitted –
“If skills sold truth be told I’d probably be lyrically Talib Kweli/ truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense/ but I did 5 mil – I ain’t been rapping like Common, since…” – “Moment of Clarity”
Its simple, really. Jay’s run from 1996-2003 wasn’t the right time for him to flip the more “woke/conscious/black empowerment” image to sell records, despite having heavily respected peers like Mos Def, Black Thought, Common and Talib Kweli pioneer that very sub-genre and prove it’s marketability. The climate of mainstream Clinton-Bush America was very different. The volatile underlying issues rooted in and plaguing the black community such as the Private Prison Industry/New Jim Crow, Nixon’s War on Drugs, Reagan/Bush’s Iran-Contra Scandal, Clinton’s Three-Strikes Law and of course Police Brutality is seen as common knowledge in 2019, but in 1999 these issues were viewed as outrageous conspiracy theories only discussed amongst the black community. Mainstream America, Liberal media included, wasn’t ready to digest the brand of militant pro-blackness that is currently in style in 2019. The rappers mentioned above were pro-black when it wasn’t trendy to be.
(***Raises black power fist out of respect***)
So it is only fitting that in this Black Lives Matter era we are currently entrenched in, where it is socially acceptable to be unapologetically black, we are currently witnessing yet another masterful reinvention of King Hova: long hair, bandanna reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, militant pro-black rhetoric and a few co-produced documentaries shedding light on Trayvon Martin and Kalief Browder for good measure.
We hear Jay Z’s beautiful pro-black rhetoric loud and clear, and it’s everything we want/need to hear in 2019. But are his actions contradicting his words? Is this just a calculated effort to stay relevant? Or has he really been pro-black this entire time and finally figured out a way to express those sentiments freely without backlash? And most importantly – does it matter? Should we care?
What’s more important? Jay Z continuing to hustle, collect all of his checks and become one of the few black billionaires, thus granting him the ability to financially empower African Americans for generations to come? OR showing through his actions that he doesn’t need a check from the NFL, the same way he is advising Travis Scott?
What’s more important? The image of a strong pro-black male with his/her hair grown out? OR the image of a man kneeling in protest of police brutality of unarmed black men and women?
As Jay said:
“I never claimed to have wings on. Nigga I get my ‘by any means on’…”