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Last month, Jay Z’s mom Gloria Carter made the brave move to come out of the closet on the biggest platform imaginable, one of her son’s songs. On 4:44‘s “Smile,” Gloria bookends the song with a poem, which many have dubbed “Living In The Shadow,” in which she asks “Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live in the shadows?” before declaring “Life is short, it’s time to be free, love who you love, because life isn’t guaranteed.” It was discrete, but coming moments after Jay himself revealed “Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian / Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian,” the message was loud and clear: Gloria is living her life as her true self now and loving it.
Apparently, former NFL MVP Cam Newton enjoyed the message because he took the poem and typed it all out in his strange font on Instagram with a picture of himself smiling gleefully. Whether Cam loves the song, the message of empowerment or is trying to tell the world something is anybody’s guess.
Cam’s career has hit a tad of a rough patch as the Panthers finished in last place in the NFC South last year with a paltry record of 6-10, just one season after going 15-1 and making it to the Super Bowl. Maybe it’s about Cam’s recent comments biting back at those who suggests that he run less as a quarterback to protect himself? “That’s my edge,” Cam said. “You going to expect a lion not to roar?”
Or maybe Cam just likes to smile. Who knows?
