Jay-Z Claims Sitting During National Anthem Was Not A Protest

Jay-Z has claimed that his sitting during the national anthem at Super Bowl LIV was not part of a protest.

The rapper, his wife Beyoncé and daughter Blue Ivy remained seated during Demi Lovato‘s performance of the Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl LIV.

The incident created a huge uproar on social media, with many concluding that the supercouple were showing support for former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee during the anthem in 2016 to silently protest racism and police brutality.

The music mogul addressed the controversy while speaking with students at Columbia University on Tuesday.

“It actually wasn’t. Sorry,” Jay-Z said when he was asked during a Q&A whether remaining seated was meant to convey a statement. “It really wasn’t. … It was not premeditated at all.”

“So we get there, and we immediately jump into artist mode,” he said. “So I’m looking at the show. ‘Did our mic start? Was it too low to start?’ … ‘Is it too many speakers on the floor?’ … So the whole time we’re sitting there and we’re talking about the performance.”

The rapper continued, “And then right after that, Demi comes out, and we’re talking about how beautiful she looked and how she sound[ed], and what she’s going through in her life for her to be on the stage and we’re so proud of her.”

He also claimed that he wouldn’t put his daughter in such a situation.

“It just happened,” he concluded.

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