Prominent rapper refuses to perform at Super Bowl halftime show

Jay Z
Jay Z
Jay Z

Prominent rapper refuses to perform at Super Bowl halftime show

By Byler Henry

The Super Bowl is the biggest game of the NFL season. The best team of the AFC battles the best team of the NFC to determine the best team in the NFL for that season. The Super Bowl has also hosted many memorable performances with their halftime shows. Many musicians have performed on the big stage: Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Prince, James Brown, ZZ Top, Phil Collins, Beyonce, Aero-smith etc. Rapper Jay-Z has decided not to perform at this year’s show. I commend Jay-Z for declining the halftime show invitation. He is telling the NFL, that he supports and stands behind Kaepernick.

Jay-Z has not yet stated why he has declined, but it seems to be a protest against the NFL for Blackballing Colin Kaepernick. At his concert in New York, Jay-Z dedicated his song “The Story of O.J.” from his album 4:44 to Kaepernick. Colin has decided to kneel during the anthem last season, to protest against the killing of unarmed Black men by the police. Although he has stated numerous times his protest was not about disrespecting the flag or the military, there are those who keep saying otherwise. They turn his intentions around and try to ignore what the message is. Sweeping the issue under the rug and ignoring it is not going to make it go away. Colin deserves a job in the NFL; there are teams who need some help at the quarterback position. Colin has taken the 49ers to the Super Bowl and an NFC championship game, so his resume speaks for itself. Any other quarterback would have been offered a job by now, and many quarterbacks who are average or subpar have been offered a job. Many teams who need a reliable backup haven’t even gave Kaepernick a tryout. It seems as if the NFL has closed the door on him this season, even though he still wants to play.

Although the Super Bowl halftime show is a big stage, there are bigger fish to fry. The issue of police encounters with unarmed Black men. That’s the main issue that Kaepernick wants to draw attention to. We have a professional Black athlete who is willing to stand up for what he believes in, and speak up about a worthy cause but instead of looking up to him as a role model he is shunned and looked upon as a villain. The NFL is making it clear that you will be granted a second chance in the NFL as long as you are silent about Black and minority issues. You can do everything else and be forgiven. Hopefully other prominent musicians take the same stance and not perform at the halftime show.

 

About Carma Henry 24481 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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