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A celebration of Jay-Z’s legendary career came with an unexpected twist. During his Yankee Stadium performance marking two landmark album anniversaries, the rap icon appeared to revisit his long-discussed ties with Colin Kaepernick through a subtle but pointed lyric, sending fans into a frenzy.

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“You picking & choosing the politicking as usual. They digging deep for narratives, it’s embarrassing, they running outta characters, had to bring back up Kaep again,” he rapped.

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The feud gained momentum after Jay-Z withdrew his support for Kaepernick following the former NFL quarterback’s dispute with the league a few years ago. Since then, his apparent diss toward Kaepernick has sparked debate over whether he should have mentioned the quarterback by name.

It all went down during the 2016 season, when Kaepernick found himself at the center of controversy. During the National Anthem, he knelt in protest over police brutality and racial inequality. As a result, he left the 49ers following the 2016 season. While he was linked to multiple teams, including the Seattle Seahawks and the Baltimore Ravens, the deal with either of the teams never materialized. Subsequently, he never played a snap in the NFL.

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Jay-Z, meanwhile, expressed his full support for the ex-quarterback by wearing a custom Kaepernick jersey on Saturday Night Live in 2017.

“I want you to understand when people are kneeling and putting their fist up what they’re doing, it’s not about a flag, it’s about justice, it’s about injustice,” Jay-Z said at that time. “…That’s not a black or white thing, 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 white issue. That’s a human issue. That’s a young person who lost their life senselessly.”

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But Jay-Z’s support for the former 49ers quarterback didn’t last long. He soon partnered with the NFL as the league’s live music entertainment strategist through his company, Roc Nation. As part of his partnership, Jay-Z and Roc Nation now decide the headliner of the Super Bowl halftime show. The move, however, drew immediate criticism, especially from Kaepernick’s teammates and his partner. But Jay-Z later made his stance on the partnership clear.

“I think we’ve moved past kneeling, and I think it’s time to go into actionable items.”

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Fast forward to now, and the criticism has sparked again. Colin Kaepernick has been away from the league since his last appearance for the 49ers. But his mention in the new lines of Jay-Z’s freestyle has become a fresh topic of conversation.

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Keshav Pareek

2,336 Articles

Keshav Pareek is a Senior NFL Features Writer at EssentiallySports, where he has covered two action-packed football seasons. He also contributes to the ES Behind the Scenes series, spotlighting the lives of top NFL stars off the field. Keshav is known for weaving humor into serious sports writing and connecting with readers by tapping into the emotional heart of the game. He’s particularly fascinated by the NFL Draft’s “Green Room” drama and remains puzzled by Shedeur Sanders’ unexpected draft slide, an outcome he calls downright baffling. With a fresh wave of breakout talent on the horizon, Keshav is primed for another thrilling season. A lifelong NFL fan, Keshav closely follows quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, drawing inspiration from their leadership and playmaking ability in his coverage. He brings a mix of sharp analysis and narrative storytelling to every story, providing readers with a compelling view of the league both on and off the field.

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Cherry Sharma

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