The relationship between hip-hop icon Jay-Z and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is souring further, with Kaepernick saying the rapper’s recent impromptu diss about him at a sold out stadium concert speaks to the guilt over his partnerships with entities that have poor records on race relations, including retailers walking back diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The billionaire rapper and Roc Nation founder once appeared to have a strong alliance with the athlete. The two connected after Kaepernick drew global attention in 2016 for kneeling during the national anthem before games with his then-team, the San Francisco 49ers — a protest against police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.
In 2017, Jay-Z asked Kaepernick to kneel onstage during a performance of “The Story of O.J.,” as he recounts but Kaepernick declined. The two later tried to connect by phone to partner on social justice issues. By then, Kaepernick was a quarterback with no team, and had turned to criminal justice reform advocacy, high-profile legal defense funding, documentary storytelling and educational philanthropy.
Any alliance between the two men began to crack when it was announced that Roc Nation had partnered with the NFL, co-curating the Super Bowl Halftime Show and advising on the league’s Inspire Change social justice initiative. Jay-Z addressed Kaepernick and his protest movement at the press conference announcing the deal.
