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Jay-Z Releases Statement On The Murder Of George Floyd & Prosecution Of His Killers

By: Yohance Kyles (@HUEYmixwitRILEY)Category: News

The Roc Nation boss is calling on Attorney General Keith Ellison to indict all four cops involved in the case.

(AllHipHop News) Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter has been viewed, by some, as a prominent figure in the fight against racial injustice in America because of his years-long efforts of bailing out Black Lives Matters protestors, funding families of African-Americans killed by police like Sean Bell in New York City, and other actions.

However, Jay has also been heavily criticized for his Roc Nation agency partnering with the National Football League to finance the Inspire Change initiative which focuses on education and economic advancement, police and community relations, and criminal justice reform. He was accused of selling out to an organization that blackballed Colin Kaepernick for protesting police brutality. 

Over the last week, the United States is once again dealing with another police killing of an unarmed African-American. 46-year-old George Floyd of Minneapolis died after arresting officer Derek Chauvin pinned his knee into Floyd’s neck for over 8 minutes as the prone man screamed he could not breathe. 

Two other officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas K. Lane, were seen holding Floyd down on the ground as his life appeared to leave his body. Another officer, Tou Thao, did not intervene to stop Chauvin or help Floyd. None of the officers performed CPR after Floyd was clearly unconscious at the scene.

Minnesota governor Tim Walz revealed he spoke to Jay-Z by phone about Floyd’s murder. The billionaire emcee apparently told the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party politician, “Justice needs to be served here.”

Jay-Z has now publicly responded to George Floyd’s death at the hands of now-charged Chauvin. On Sunday night, Roc Nation’s Twitter account released a statement from the legendary Hip Hop artist.

The statement reads:

After our very earnest conversation, thank you to Governor Walz for doing what’s right and calling in Attorney General Keith Ellison to take over the George Floyd case. Earlier today, Governor Walz mentioned having a human conversation with me – a dad and a black man in pain. YES, I am human, a father and a black man in pain and I am not the only one. Now I, along with an entire country in pain, call upon AG Ellison to do the right thing and prosecute all those responsible for the murder of George Floyd to the fullest extent of the law. This is just a first step. I am more determined to fight for justice than any fight my would-be oppressors may have. I prevail on every politician, prosecutor and officer in the country to have the courage to do what is right. Have the courage to look at us as humans, dads, brothers, sisters and mothers in pain and look at yourselves.

Additionally, the Jay-Z-associated REFORM Alliance addressed George Floyd’s murder and demanded justice in the matter. REFORM stated, in part, “We call for the immediate arrest of all the officers involved and for charges that reflect their roles in the murder of Mr. Floyd.”

In response to the murder of George Floyd, Beyoncé, Jay-Z’s wife, posted an Instagram video addressing the “racism going on in America” and the “senseless killing of human beings.” The award-winning singer also provided a link to various petitions that call for the officers that killed Floyd to be held accountable.