Jigga is back, man. The Roots Picnic performance marked the return of Jay-Z as he kicked off his celebration for the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt and the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint. Of course, he hasn’t just commemorated these milestones with rare concerts across America and Europe but also with new releases of sorts. He’s unearthed previously unreleased records for DSPs, and now, he’s readying to drop an exclusive vinyl for Reasonable Doubt.
The problem is that the exclusive vinyl for Reasonable Doubt will be sold through an exclusive deal with Target, a company that pulled back its DEI efforts following Trump’s election win. Naturally, this has garnered significant backlash for Hov, especially as activists have advocated for boycotting Target, as All Hip Hop pointed out.
Instagram page Essence Of Black Culture said Jay “made himself available to be used to directly smack the community in the face in a ‘yeah and yall aint gonna do sh*t about it either like yall never do.’” They also pointed out his deal with the NFL in the midst of boycotting the league for how they treated Colin Kaepernick.
Jay-Z’s Relationship With Target Called Out
Another Instagram brand, Being Black Is Lit, similarly pointed out Roc Nation’s relationship with the NFL, accusing him of “helping [Target] in restoring their brand with the Black community.” “Please remember what Jay Z did when the Black Community planned to boycott the NFL for what they did to Kaepernick, and some of you defended him saying he’s playing ‘chess’ & all you got were ‘diverse’ halftime performers and him getting richer. Although a lot of you worship celebrities, for the rest of you please continue to stay strong and continue Boycotting.”
Jay-Z might address the outrage in a new freestyle, if he decides to acknowledge the backlash at all. But it seems like no one has faith that he’d adjust his plans solely based on the calls to boycott Target. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
