Photo Credit: Mikael ‘Mika’ Väisänen / CC by 3.0
Rapper Jay-Z and his entertainment company Roc Nation have purchased full-page ads, featuring remarks offered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in newspapers across the United States.
Jay-Z and Roc Nation posted copies of the advertisement on Instagram, indicating that it was made “in dedication to George Floyd,” who perished nine days ago, after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin applied his knee to Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.
Chauvin was subsequently arrested on third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges; the former was upped to second-degree murder today, and the other three responding officers were charged and taken into police custody. The second-degree murder charge brings a maximum sentence of 40 years behind bars, compared to 25 years for third-degree murder.
Two variations of the advertisement have come to light; both feature famous remarks made by MLK Jr. in Selma, Alabama, in 1965, three years before his passing, but one consists of black text against a white background, and the other is composed of the opposite color scheme.
Additionally, both versions of the advert include the names of Jay-Z and supporting activists at their bottom. The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune are among the many publications that carried the statement, and The Jonas Brothers’ official Twitter account retweeted the Roc Nation message announcing the ad.
Additionally, Jay-Z’s music streaming platform Tidal reacted to the death of George Floyd. The 50-year-old mogul also indicated that he had a “very earnest conversation” about the tragedy with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Jay-Z has long been active in the social justice sphere. Back in February, Digital Music News was first to report that the rapper had filed a second lawsuit (the first having been submitted in January) against the Mississippi Department of Corrections over the allegedly “barbaric” conditions within Parchman Prison.
Plus, the Brooklyn native has partnered with the NFL, under the “Inspire Change” banner, to support (and advocate on behalf of) underrepresented communities and individuals.
Newspaper what’s a newspaper?
I’m sorry but I see this more as as self promotion… or at least to show HE is/THEY are on the right side…
Really?? does Jay still needs to prove something on that matter??? I hate that!..I mean why the hell all those celebrities need to tag their name everywhere when they do something?….why do they need to let everyone know that they did donations?? Jay Z and all others could do this without tagging their name or any other names, he could have done the same thing without telling the world “I DID” .. not sure MLK would appeciate this kind of behavior which blurs the whole message … look ..even th title of this very article is highlighting JAY Z.. much more than anything else.
After Cultural appropiation, now we seem to have “Indignation appropriation”
bottom line stop showing off!
I know I’m gonna get burned for this kind of comment…it’s not about being fan or not.. it is silly I’m fan of nothing, nobody ..except my mum.
Let me guess? You want people to support black lives in silence so you can stop feeling uncomfortable? It is extremely important for our successful brothers and sisters to voice their support. Their success doesn’t protect them from racism in this country. Or people viewing them as a commodity, consuming them, being about their music, their culture, but not being about who they are. They still lived as a black person in America and they are allowed to show their support as loud or as in your face as they want. They want to make you uncomfortable. They want you to feel how we feel everyday in this country.
And you don’t get to bring MLK into this. You don’t get to tell us or imply that we need to behave more like MLK. This country still murdered him despite him protesting “correctly”. We are no longer living our lives to make others comfortable.
Also, how are you going to blame Jay Z for how this article chose to talk about what he’s doing? I highly doubt Jay Z came begging Digital Music News to write this article.
Don’t get me wrong.. I’m not criticizing people who do support protests, I do support everything single thing that’s been done against this whole situation, no matter if it’s in US or anywhere else btw,..this criminal non-sense must stop by any means. peacefully if possible.
I do agree with you, Jay Z didn’t wrote this article.. fair enough.. I’m just tired by this:
” Additionally, both versions of the advert include the names of Jay-Z and supporting activists at their bottom. The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune are among the many publications that carried the statement, and The Jonas Brothers’ official Twitter account retweeted the Roc Nation message announcing the ad.”
..tired by celebs feeling the need to put their names over it.. that’s all I said. tired by celebs who cmailing BLM..then perform for companies that are known to be tied to far-right, and other extremes organisatiosn. .. beside that I “hate” the fact that Jay Z colluded with NFL for instance..which denied keeling for black people’s rights ..
btw..beeing philantropist doesn’t emply to sign your acts…rather not.
but my comment isn’t very important today..
I do realize now that it has just triggered these far-righter’s comments below. I’m sorry for that.
Let’s not forget that the saint George Floyd was a career criminal, high on fentanyl, who once put a gun to a pregnant woman’s stomach while robbing her.
And that justifies killing him?
The world is a much better place without George Floyd. If he wasn’t trying to commit yet another crime while being high on fentanyl, it wouldn’t have happened.
And that justifies killing him?
..don’t waste your time… as Trump some don’t know what empathy means..