‘Speaking to a guilty conscience’: Colin Kaepernick does not hold back on Jay-Z

Rapper Jay Z and former NFL star Colin Kaepernick have seemingly been publicly at odds over the past few years after Jay-Z’s involvement with the NFL. Now, 10 years after his iconic national anthem protests, Kaepernick is speaking out about the rapper.

During a recent interview, Kaepernick addressed Jay-Z’s relationship with the NFL as well as some recent comments from Jay-Z, as he said that he believes the rapper has a “guilty conscience.”

Jay-Z and Kaepernick Relationship

Kaepernick and Jay-Z have a rather long history together. Back in 2017, Jay-Z dedicated a performance of his song “The Story of O.J.” to Kaepernick after Kaepernick’s iconic national anthem protests. He even wore Kaepernick’s jersey during a performance on “Saturday Night Live” in 2017 and was one of Kaepernick’s highest-profile supporters.

In his new book, Kaepernick revealed that Jay-Z actually asked him in 2017 to kneel onstage during a performance of “The Story of O.J.” but that he declined, in part because he objected to the use of racial slurs in the lyrics. He also said he had difficulty connecting with Jay-Z over the phone to plan the effort.

However, their relationship soured in 2019 when Jay-Z announced that his entertainment group, Rock Nation, would partner with the NFL, as it has since produced every Super Bowl halftime show. Kaepernick was not happy, and he said he made that clear to Jay-Z.

“I just want you to know, one, you’re serving the culture up to a bunch of racists and, two, they don’t care about you,” Kaepernick wrote about what he told Jay-Z when they spoke. “You’re the music guy to them. They quite literally need a Black face—and have said as much.”

Jay-Z then directly referenced Kaepernick’s protests in his press conference announcing the partnership.

“I think we have moved past kneeling. I think it’s time for action,” he said. “We forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice. In that case, this is a success. This is the next phase.”

Then, earlier this year, Jay-Z drew criticism when it was announced that he would sell an exclusive version of his “Reasonable Doubt” album at Target, which has been subjected to boycotts by Black shoppers after it rolled back its diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

Kaepernick, meanwhile, has said that he will not be selling his upcoming memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” in Target stores.

As a result of this controversy, Jay-Z took aim at Kaepernick during a freestyle rap at a concert at Yankee Stadium in July, calling out Kaepernick by name and mentioning his settlement with the NFL.

“They run out of characters, had to bring back up [Kaepernick] again,” Jay-Z said, referring to people who have criticized him for a recent partnership with Target. “Buddy took a check, I ain’t even mad at him, but along with that check you have to sign a non-disparagement. I’m the one [the NFL] can’t control.”

It’s worth noting that Kaepernick claims he did not sign a non-disparagement agreement with the NFL as part of his settlement and he has continued to be critical of the league.

‘Speaking to a guilty conscience’

Kaepernick did not issue a public comment on Jay-Z’s freestyle at the time, but during an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt, he addressed the words.

“First and foremost, what it speaks to is power of people,” Kaepernick said about his reaction. “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, so much so that he’s still bringing it up in 2026.”

“People are now realizing, ‘Why are you so comfortable stepping into these positions that are counter to the positions that people on the ground actually want?’ And to me, I view that as speaking to a guilty conscience and trying to reposition or reframe the conversation,” he added.

He also said that his supporters have been consistent in not agreeing with Jay-Z’s actions.

“I haven’t publicly spoken about him in any matter, but it speaks to the level of impact that people are having and being able to continue to move not only individuals but corporations,” he said.

As for why he didn’t address Jay-Z’s comments immediately, Kaepernick

“He has built the alignment with the NFL, the NFL that has blackballed me, the same NFL that, in a players-owners meeting in 2017, said we need a Black face to help us get rid of the protests,” Kaepernick told NBC News that he believes his actions speak for themselves. “I understand why he’s trying to do reputational recovery. I get it. I don’t agree with the actions, but I’m also not gonna respond to everything that’s said about me, because I also believe the actions and the work that I do will speak for themselves.”

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