JAY-Z, J. Cole Show Continued Support for Colin Kaepernick & NFL Protests

J. Cole spoke up about the embattled QB to GQ, while JAY-Z defined the protests during a recent show.

By kmvq on November 13, 2017

By Scott T. Sterling

With the current NFL season beyond the halfway mark, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is still looming over the game without playing a single down.

Rappers JAY-Z and J. Cole have continued to show their support of the embattled athlete, who was just announced as GQ magazine’s “Citizen of the Year,” and his cause.

“You’re talking about a guy in his athletic prime, who’s lived his whole life dreaming about playing football at a level that millions of kids dream to get to,” J. Cole is quoted as saying in the article “And in his first big season, he takes his team to within five yards of winning a Super Bowl.

“But then, at some point in time, he becomes conscious about what’s happening in the world,” Cole continued. “And suddenly something that he’s been doing blindly for his whole life—standing for the national anthem—now feels uncomfortable. Why? Because now it feels phony! It feels like, Man, how can I stand for this thing when this country is not holding itself true to the principles it says it stands for? I feel like we’re lying. And look what happens to him.Had he not done that, this guy would be making millions of dollars right now. Period, point blank. And more important than the money, he was living his dream. He sacrificed his dream.”

For his part, JAY-Z spoke out in support of the protests during a concert in Miami, FL, over the weekend (Nov. 12), explaining what exactly they represent.

“I want y’all to understand… when people are kneeling and putting their fists up and doing what they’re doing, it’s not about the flag. It’s about justice,” he said (via XXL). “It’s about injustice. And that’s not a Black or a White thing. It’s a human issue. It’s a human issue. Everybody should feel the same way. If your 16-year-old child left the house and didn’t come back, everyone should be affected. That’s not a Black or a White issue. That’s a human issue. That’s a young person who lost their life senselessly.”