Jay-Z addresses Colin Kaepernick in wake of Roc Nation, NFL deal

When asked if he would kneel or stand for the national anthem, Jay-Z said that he thinks we’ve moved past kneeling.

“I think we’ve moved past kneeling. I think it’s time for action,” the Empire State of Mind rapper said.

He then added: “No, I don’t want people to stop protesting at all. Kneeling — I know we’re stuck on it because it’s a real thing — but kneeling is a form of protest. I support protest across the board. We need to bring light to the issue. I think everyone knows what the issue is — we’re done with that.”

Jay-Z defended his decision as “the next phase” in the process begun by Kaepernick, who sparked demonstrations during the U.S. national anthem to protest social and racial injustice.

“We all know the issue now. OK, next. What are we moving [on to] next? …And I’m not minimizing that part of it because that has to happen, that’s a necessary part of the process. But now that we all know what’s going on. What are we going to do? How are we going to stop it? Because the kneeling was not about a job, it was about injustice.”

“There [are] two parts of protesting,” Jay-Z said. “You go outside and you protest, and then the company or the individual says, ‘I hear you. What do we do next? So for me it was like, action, actionable item, what are we going to do with it? Everyone heard and we hear what you’re saying, and everybody knows I agree with what you’re saying. So what are we going to do? So we should, millions of millions of people, and all we get stuck on [is] Colin not having a job.”

When asked why he didn’t involve Kaepernick in the new Roc Nation-NFL deal, Jay-Z said: “You’d have to ask him. I’m not his boss. I can’t just bring him into something. That’s for him to say.”

Jay-Z said that he and Kaepernick had a conversation about the new deal but didn’t offer any further details about what was discussed.

“I’m not knocking anything he’s doing, and I hope he doesn’t knock what I’m doing,” Jay-Z said.

The Otis rapper has been among Kaepernick’s strongest supporters, who sparked a fissure in the NFL when he decided to kneel when the national anthem was played before games to protest the killings of blacks by police officers. Some called him unpatriotic, and he has not played for the NFL since he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017.

Earlier this year, the NFL settled a lawsuit brought by Kaepernick and Eric Reid that alleged that owners colluded to keep them from playing in the league.

Reid criticized Jay-Z’s new deal with the league, saying, “These aren’t mutually exclusive. They can both happen at the same time! It looks like your goal was to make millions and millions of dollars by assisting the NFL in burying Colin’s career.”