AKIRA

Can a billionaire really be a sellout? The answer to that question is no, at least not in terms of Jay Z. Hov is a newly made billionaire, who in some eyes represents that black community. Over the past couple years, he has voiced his support for Colin Kaepernick and his stand against police brutality. He rapped, “I said no to the Superbowl. You need me, I don’t need you.” However, Jay Z seems to be rapping a different tune. He recently partnered with NFL on a new business venture. That’s hypocritical, right? Wrong.

The NFL deal that was merged was not to help support the NFL, but instead use his position of power to help with social justice reform in the league. Obviously, this can be seen as Jay Z being a sellout, but what better way to change the issues within a system other than getting to the source. In reality, he’s more of an avenger than a shameless money hungry businessman. In an interview, Jay Z said “the NFL has a huge platform and we can use that huge platform…If you have a vehicle that can inspire change, where you can speak to the masses and educate at the same time as well, tell people what’s going on, so people not controlling your narrative.” From the lips of Hov himself, he speaks on how he wants to use the NFL to make change and inspire it.

Jay Z’s portion of the NFL business venture is to work on social reform and help the organization with the entertainment portion of events. In the defense of the rapper, it’s clear he is not doing this solely for the money although, he will more than likely make some off of this deal. Like Jay rapped in his song, he doesn’t need the NFL, he has more than enough money to sustain his lifestyle. If he doesn’t need the money, then why else would he want to work with the NFL? Maybe, just maybe, he actually does want to help the black community and show support to the players like Kaepernick who have voiced their outrage.