And, according to the hip-hop mogul, sitting during the anthem wasnt supposed to convey a political message ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
It actually wasnt. Sorry. It really wasnt, the rapper said during the first of the Shawn Jay-Z Carter Lecture Series at Columbia University on Tuesday.
It was not premeditated at all, he continued, adding that TMZ which first shared video footage of the couple in their seats can tell you anything without speaking to me. I need to tell you, if it was me, I would say, Yes, thats what Ive done, and I think people would know that about me.
The power couples sit-down came under intense scrutiny. Many people on social media suggested it was a show of solidarity with former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose kneeling during the anthem to protest racial injustice prompted a wave of similar demonstrations and drew the ire of President Donald Trump .
But Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation co-produced the halftime show as part of its controversial partnership deal with the NFL, insisted he didnt stand on Sunday because hed jumped into artist mode and was focused on the quality of the sound in the performance.
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Explained the artist:
So the whole time were sitting there, were talking about the performance, and then right after that, Demi comes out and were talking about how beautiful she looked, and how she sounds and what shes going through and her life. For her to be on the stage, we were so proud of her. And then it finished and then my phone rang. And it was like, You know you didnt just (stand for the anthem). Im like, What?
To bolster his story, Jay-Z said that if there had been a plan for the couple to protest, their 8-year-old daughter Blue Ivy would have given the game away by constantly asking when they were going to do it.
Given the context, I didnt have to make a silent protest, he added.
Check out the interview here:
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