Dr. Umar accuses Jay-Z of betraying the Black community through his Tom Brady performance.

Dr. Umar accuses Jay-Z of betraying the Black community through his Tom Brady performance.

JAY-Z has been criticised by Dr. Umar Johnson for what he perceives as a betrayal of Hip Hop and the Black community in relation to a recent performance for Tom Brady.

In a candid interview with The Art of Dialogue, the activist and internet personality strongly criticised Hov for his decision to perform at the NFL legend’s induction into the New England Patriots’ Hall of Fame last month, while neglecting to participate in any of the festivities commemorating Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary.
Dr. Umar, a devoted admirer of JAY-Z, expressed that without the influence of Hip Hop, music, and culture, JAY-Z may not have achieved his current status as a highly successful and wealthy individual. Hence, I concur that the censure directed on JAY-Z is justified.

“You are not justified in honouring Tom Brady, a white man who has not made any significant contributions to the Black community, and the NFL, which has ruined the careers of Black men, including Colin Kaepernick, and continues to do so. You are not justified in celebrating Tom Brady’s NFL career while also refusing to perform at the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. I believe that JAY-Z had a responsibility to Hip Hop to perform at its 50th anniversary.”

Dr. Umar recognised that Jay and Beyoncé are more philanthropic than many other celebrities. However, he maintained that Jay-Z made a mistake by not performing last year to commemorate Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary.

“If you are going to commemorate the achievements of the white man, you should have also participated in commemorating the achievements of the Black man,” he continued. “I hope that JAY-Z is not experiencing the negative effects of excessive self-centredness commonly associated with Black males.” It is common for individuals to become successful and develop a sense of superiority, believing that they are akin to a deity and superior to other individuals of African descent, making them feel too superior to associate with others of the same racial background.

“So I hope Mr. Shawn Carter remembers his roots and the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, and I hope he remembers everything he had to go through to get where he is […] A lot of individuals helped JAY-Z reach where he got, and for him not to come and give homage, it was wrong.”
The Pan-Africanist speaker then recommended that JAY-Z can “make it right” by putting on a free performance for “all Hip Hop heads in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop.”

Despite Dr. Umar’s criticism, the Brooklyn-bred billionaire wasn’t wholly missing at last year’s Hip Hop 50 celebrations.

He did put together a free multimedia exhbition at the Brooklyn Public Library called The Book of HOV, which “explore[d] JAY-Z’s global impact as a musician, innovator, entrepreneur, and philanthropist,” according to its website.

Thousands of items from the rap legend’s decorated career occupied three floors of the library, including original recording masters, never-before-seen images, famous ensembles and significant accolades.

There was also a gorgeous reproduction of Baseline Studios, the legendary New York City recording spot where Jigga recorded iconic albums like The Blueprint and The Black Album.

The 54-year-old experienced similar racially-charged cricism in 2019 when he teamed with the NFL following the league’s alleged blackballing of Colin Kaepernick for taking a knee during the national anthem in protest of racial inequality and police brutality.

The multi-year deal saw JAY-Z and Roc Nation become engaged in creating much of the league’s entertainment programming, including the halftime performance, as well its social justice activities.

Hov justified the difficult partnership by stating that Kaepernick’s protest was meaningful but that “we’ve moved past kneeling” and “it’s time to go into actionable items.”

“I believe real change is had through conversation, real conversation and real work,” he stated during a press conference at the time. “And what better way to do it than where the conversation first took place?”