Jay-Z is breaking his silence after he and his wife Beyonce, along with daughter Blue Ivy, sat during the National Anthem at Super Bowl 54.
The hip-hop mogul simply says it was NOT a protest of any kind, and it wasn’t done intentionally to make any sort of point.
Jay appeared at Columbia University on Tuesday to take part in a discussion with journalism professor Jelani Cobb, where he explained exactly what went down. The sit-down was the first of the newly instituted Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter Lecture Series.
A Columbia professor asked Jay if he remained seated during the performance to “convey a signal,” and he very quickly responded, “It actually wasn’t.”
Carter then threw up his hands a bit and said, “Sorry” making the gesture that it wasn’t a premediate situation to make a major point. At the moment, it drew a few laughs from the crowd.
In a video of the discussion, you hear Jay-Z go on to explain exactly how his family ended up in that moment, and it totally makes sense.
He explained, he and Beyonce were focused on the performers and making sure everything was perfect for there appearances. Remember, Jay now works with the NFL on the halftime show and musical guests. So, he explained at the moment the show began he and Bey were in work mode. He told the crowd, she “performed at the Super Bowl before, and I haven’t,” so the nerves started up at the time.
“We immediately jumped into artist mode.” Jay explained, “I’m really just looking at the show. The mics start. Was it too low to start?”
His point…he was just working.
At that point, Demi Lovato was taking the stage and was about to begin. Jay explains he and Beyonce were discussing “how beautiful [Lovato] looks and she sounds and what she’s going through and her life, for her to be on this stage we’re so proud of her.”
The mogul went on to explain there would be no reason for him to conduct a “silent protest.” Not only does he not need to do that, but he also says the artists that the group chose for this year’s Super Bowl had plenty of messages. They were “making the biggest loudest protest of all” by selecting the artists that they did.
In the end, Jay made a joke about having his 8-year-old daughter in on a protest of that kind, and how it just wouldn’t have worked. She wouldn’t have been able to sit and wait for the exact moment she was supposed to react. It’s really funny…you can check it out…HERE.
