Colin Kaepernick believes Jay-Z is taking shots at him because the rapper is still trying to repair the damage from his NFL partnership. The tension between these two cultural figures speaks to deeper conversations about activism, compromise, and the price of progress in spaces that don’t always prioritize Black liberation.
Kaepernick addressed their growing feud after Jay-Z mentioned him during a freestyle at Yankee Stadium, where the rapper mocked the former quarterback’s settlement with the league. It’s a moment that reflects how Colin Kaepernick has remained unapologetic about his choices, even when other prominent figures have shifted their positions on social justice.
“Buddy took a check, I ain’t even mad at him,” Jay-Z rapped. “I’m the one [the NFL] can’t control.”
Kaepernick, however, told NBC News that Jay-Z’s decision to bring up their history in 2026 shows how deeply the backlash surrounding his 2019 NFL deal is still weighing on him. The rapper’s partnership with the league marked a turning point—one that felt like a departure from the freedom struggle that defined the movement Kaepernick started.
“The backlash that [Jay-Z] received for partnering with the NFL and going counter to people’s interests in 2019 was a major problem for him,” he said.
Jay-Z initially supported Kaepernick after the quarterback began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial inequality, but that changed when Roc Nation partnered with the NFL while Kaepernick remained unsigned. It was a shift that felt like a betrayal to many who saw the alliance as a step backward for the movement.
Things escalated again when Target scaled back its DEI commitments. Jay-Z struck a deal with the retailer involving an exclusive edition of Reasonable Doubt, while Kaepernick chose not to sell his upcoming memoir there. The contrast between their choices—who they align with and under what circumstances—became impossible to ignore.
Kaepernick said he sees Jay-Z’s remarks as “speaking to a guilty conscience” and an attempt at “reputational recovery.” There’s a weight to that assessment. When you’re building a curated reading list of voices that matter in this moment, Kaepernick’s uncompromising stance stands out—it’s the kind of Black excellence that doesn’t bend to corporate interests.
“I get it,” he added. “I don’t agree with the actions.”
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