Jay-Z may be the greatest rapper in history, but he also holds a higher title — Dad.
Amidst nationwide protests demanding for racial justice, Jay-Z has now publicly responded to George Floyd’s vicious murder at the hands of now-charged Chauvin.
“Earlier today, Governor Walz mentioned having a human conversation with me — a dad and a Black man in pain,” the rapper wrote. “Yes, I am human, a father and a Black man in pain and I am not the only one.”
During a press conference, Walz revealed on Sunday that Jay-Z called him personally, not as a musician and celebrity, but as a father. “It was so incredibly human,” Walz recalled. “It was a dad—and I think quite honestly a Black man whose visceral pain of this that he knew. His words summarized that justice needs to be served here.”
Like many Black people around the nation, Jay-Z is hurting at the tragic news of the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
“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,” Jay-Z added in his statement.
Saying that this was “just a first step,” he declared, “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.”
Jay-Z and Beyonce have quietly been working behind the scenes for years as not only philanthropists, but as activists as well. Their long list of efforts has included bailing out Black Lives Matters protestors, funding families of African-Americans killed by police and demanding prison reform.
Over the weekend, Beyoncé also added her voice to the calls for justice for Floyd in an Instagram video in which she said: “We need justice for George Floyd. We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalize this pain.”