Jay-Z Denies Protesting When Seated During National Anthem At Super Bowl

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ay-Z attends the Pre-GRAMMY Gala and GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Sean "Diddy" Combs on January 25, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California.
Jay-Z was working.

There wasn't any possible way that the Super Bowl would've passed without Jay-Z making headlines. The rapper's partnership with the NFL drew criticism, especially since it seemed like a slight towards Colin Kaepernick. Jay even said that "we're passed kneeling" and wanted to use the opportunity to make a change.

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When Jay-Z and Beyonce were spotted sitting down during the National Anthem, they were immediately hit with critics including Kaep who brought up Hov's previous comments on kneeling. All of that to say, Jay-Z didn't actually sit down as a way to protest, TMZ reports. During an appearance at Colombia University, the rapper explained that he was sitting down because he was far more focused on Demi Lovato's performance since Roc Nation is handling the NFL's music and entertainment.

"We get there and we immediately jump into artist mode," he said. "Now, I'm just really looking at the show. The mics start. Was it too low to start?" He continued to explain how he was analyzing all aspects of how Demi's performance was going down as well as Yolanda Adams performance of "America The Beautiful" and of course, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez' half-time show. 

Jay-Z went onto explain that he definitely didn't need to silently protest in any way while also joking about people thinking Blue Ivy was involved in the protest.

Peep the video here. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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