Fans accuse Jay-Z of taking a swipe at Colin Kaepernick in explosive new freestyle
TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Jul 11, 2026, 11.51 AM IST
Jay-Z said in a 2019 GQ interview that he was past kneeling and ready for "actionable items." Seven years later, the internet is still asking what those items were.
On May 30, Jay-Z headlined the 2026 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia, opening with an a cappella freestyle that had hip-hop talking for weeks. He came out with a new afro, which is more than beats and features, just bars. He took shots at Drake, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Damon Dash, and others. Buried in those bars were two lines that have resurfaced now with fresh context, as reported by several X accounts:
"You picking & choosing the politicking as usual"
"They digging deep for narratives, it's embarrassing, they running outta characters, had to bring back up Kaep again"
The resurfaced lyrics hold depth because Jay-Z is already facing renewed criticism over his Target partnership tied to the 30th anniversary of “Reasonable Doubt.”
Jay-Z's Target deal brought the Kaepernick conversation right back where he said it was done
In June 2026, Jay-Z announced a collector's edition re-release of his 1996 debut Reasonable Doubt, exclusive to Target, a retailer that has been under a nationwide boycott since February 2025 over its rollback of DEI commitments. The deal was timed around the album's 30th anniversary and Juneteenth.
Boycott organizers were not pleased. According to Atlanta Black Star, Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of three Minnesota activists pressuring Target over its $2.1 billion pledge to Black communities following George Floyd's murder, questioned how Jay-Z could have missed the boycott entirely. "Did you go to Target or did Target come to you? Did you not know that there is a boycott? Unless you're living under a rock, it's hard for me to see that he didn't know," Armstrong said.
A second organizer, Jaylani Hussein, called the move a strategic distraction. "Target is doubling down on a failed strategy with Colin Kaepernick and bringing in Jay-Z. And I think it's a great sign for everybody who's been protesting and standing up against Target and boycotting Target," Hussein said, as reported by Atlanta Black Star.
Jay-Z went from wearing Kaepernick's jersey on 'SNL' to shaking the NFL's hand without telling him
Colin Kaepernick last played an NFL game in January 2017. He had spent the 2016 season kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice, and no team signed him afterward. Many of his supporters, including Jay-Z, believed he was being blackballed. Jay-Z wore a Kaepernick jersey on "Saturday Night Live" in 2017 and even turned down a Super Bowl performance that same year, later rapping about it on Beyoncé's "Apeshit": "I said no to the Super Bowl: You need me, I don't need you."
Then in August 2019, he sat alongside NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at Roc Nation's Manhattan headquarters and announced a multi-year partnership making Roc Nation the league's live music entertainment strategist. Kaepernick was not part of the deal and, according to reports, was not consulted beforehand in any meaningful way.
Jay-Z confirmed at the press conference that he had spoken to Kaepernick before the announcement but declined to share details of that conversation. He told the room he was not Kaepernick's boss and therefore could not ask him to join anything. Kaepernick's then-partner Nessa Diab called it disgusting and said Jay-Z helped the NFL bury him.
Former Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid, the first player to join Kaepernick in kneeling, was more direct, he said Jay-Z's goal was to make millions by assisting the NFL in burying Kaepernick's career. As reported by HipHopDX in July 2025, Diab later alleged that Roc Nation took $5 million a year over five years specifically to help the NFL move beyond the controversy around teams' refusal to sign Kaepernick.
Jay-Z dropped those Kaepernick bars on May 30, two days later, he announced the Target deal
The freestyle happened May 30 at the Roots Picnic. Jay-Z rapped about people digging up tired narratives and recycling Kaepernick's name. On June 1, preorders opened for his Reasonable Doubt 30th anniversary vinyl, exclusive to Target, a retailer under active boycott since February 2025 over its DEI rollback.
The irony wrote itself. He called the Kaepernick conversation old news and then handed everyone a brand new reason to have it again. Kaepernick hasn't played a snap since 2016. Jay-Z just keeps giving people fresh material.
On May 30, Jay-Z headlined the 2026 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia, opening with an a cappella freestyle that had hip-hop talking for weeks. He came out with a new afro, which is more than beats and features, just bars. He took shots at Drake, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Damon Dash, and others. Buried in those bars were two lines that have resurfaced now with fresh context, as reported by several X accounts:
"You picking & choosing the politicking as usual"
"They digging deep for narratives, it's embarrassing, they running outta characters, had to bring back up Kaep again"
The resurfaced lyrics hold depth because Jay-Z is already facing renewed criticism over his Target partnership tied to the 30th anniversary of “Reasonable Doubt.”
Jay-Z's Target deal brought the Kaepernick conversation right back where he said it was done
In June 2026, Jay-Z announced a collector's edition re-release of his 1996 debut Reasonable Doubt, exclusive to Target, a retailer that has been under a nationwide boycott since February 2025 over its rollback of DEI commitments. The deal was timed around the album's 30th anniversary and Juneteenth.Boycott organizers were not pleased. According to Atlanta Black Star, Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of three Minnesota activists pressuring Target over its $2.1 billion pledge to Black communities following George Floyd's murder, questioned how Jay-Z could have missed the boycott entirely. "Did you go to Target or did Target come to you? Did you not know that there is a boycott? Unless you're living under a rock, it's hard for me to see that he didn't know," Armstrong said.
A second organizer, Jaylani Hussein, called the move a strategic distraction. "Target is doubling down on a failed strategy with Colin Kaepernick and bringing in Jay-Z. And I think it's a great sign for everybody who's been protesting and standing up against Target and boycotting Target," Hussein said, as reported by Atlanta Black Star.
Jay-Z went from wearing Kaepernick's jersey on 'SNL' to shaking the NFL's hand without telling him
Colin Kaepernick last played an NFL game in January 2017. He had spent the 2016 season kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice, and no team signed him afterward. Many of his supporters, including Jay-Z, believed he was being blackballed. Jay-Z wore a Kaepernick jersey on "Saturday Night Live" in 2017 and even turned down a Super Bowl performance that same year, later rapping about it on Beyoncé's "Apeshit": "I said no to the Super Bowl: You need me, I don't need you."Then in August 2019, he sat alongside NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at Roc Nation's Manhattan headquarters and announced a multi-year partnership making Roc Nation the league's live music entertainment strategist. Kaepernick was not part of the deal and, according to reports, was not consulted beforehand in any meaningful way.
Jay-Z confirmed at the press conference that he had spoken to Kaepernick before the announcement but declined to share details of that conversation. He told the room he was not Kaepernick's boss and therefore could not ask him to join anything. Kaepernick's then-partner Nessa Diab called it disgusting and said Jay-Z helped the NFL bury him.
Former Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid, the first player to join Kaepernick in kneeling, was more direct, he said Jay-Z's goal was to make millions by assisting the NFL in burying Kaepernick's career. As reported by HipHopDX in July 2025, Diab later alleged that Roc Nation took $5 million a year over five years specifically to help the NFL move beyond the controversy around teams' refusal to sign Kaepernick.
Jay-Z dropped those Kaepernick bars on May 30, two days later, he announced the Target deal
The freestyle happened May 30 at the Roots Picnic. Jay-Z rapped about people digging up tired narratives and recycling Kaepernick's name. On June 1, preorders opened for his Reasonable Doubt 30th anniversary vinyl, exclusive to Target, a retailer under active boycott since February 2025 over its DEI rollback.The irony wrote itself. He called the Kaepernick conversation old news and then handed everyone a brand new reason to have it again. Kaepernick hasn't played a snap since 2016. Jay-Z just keeps giving people fresh material.