A New Jay-Z Verse Is Already Drawing Criticism Before Its Release

Fans of Jay-Z and Pharrell gave fans a surprising announcement on Thursday that the two legends would be releasing a new collaboration at midnight for their fans to enjoy. Entitled “Entrepreneur,” the song will arrive in conjunction with Pharrell’s TIME magazine cover package “The New American Revolution.” But hours before the song’s official release, some fans are already criticizing Jay-Z thanks some lines from the song.

On “Entrepreneur,” Jay-Z used a line to criticize what he views as the Black community’s lacking support on Black entrepreneurs. “Black Twitter, what’s that? When Jack gets paid, do you?” he questioned. “For every one Gucci, support two FUBU’s.” Many fans took issue with Jay-Z’s comments and pointed to what they view as an inconsistent stance on such a topic, with some bringing up his controversial partnership with the NFL.

One Twitter user went to highlight this inconsistent stance in a tweet, posing that in a few months Jay-Z would partner with Gucci despite his criticisms of the company on the song. “Jay-Z four months from now: I’m very pleased to announce I’m collaborating with Gucci on their Black Twitter line,” the tweet said.

https://twitter.com/such_A_frknlady/status/1296462674805624833?s=20

Other criticisms of the line were focused on Jay-Z’s choice to use FUBU, a once-popular brand in the Black community that is no longer a go-to brand for its preferred audience. Once again, fans challenge his stance as he’s celebrated luxurious brands, like Gucci, multiple times in his career. While FUBU may have just been a metaphor for all Black-owned businesses, one Twitter user pointed out that the line in “Entrepreneur” is still inaccurate.

“Black twitter is absolutely a community where Black consumers support Black entrepreneurs,” the wrote. “He’s off base on all of this. Whether you think he’s speaking metaphorically or not.”