Antonio Brown and others are criticizing Jay-Z’s recent performance at Tom Brady’s Hall of Fame ceremony and saying the rapper has “sold out.”
The billionaire hip-hop mogul was at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on June 12 to open
up Tom Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Billboard reports. Jay-Z stepped out in smoke to perform his classic hit “PSA,” a song Brady used to walk out to during pre-games with the New England Patriots.The Roc Nation founder is known for being selective with his performances and was likely paid generously for the live show. But Jay-Z still came under fire once a clip of the performance made its rounds on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Responses were mixed, with some commenting on how rare the live show was and others reacting to the crowd’s lackluster response to the legendary rapper’s appearance.
“That check must’ve been good, cause Jay don’t perform,” one fan wrote.
“Jay Z in 2024 😭. The way nobody cared,” another said.
One sarcastic viewer believed the predominantly white crowd wanted Jay-Z to “Entertain us in the background Black man…while we attend to business.”
Then came former NFL player Antonio Brown, who copied and pasted another person’s original tweet criticizing Jay-Z for taking time to perform for Tom Brady but not at any of last year’s Hip-Hop 50 events.
“Jay didn’t perform at any Hip Hop 50 concerts last year where the fans would’ve known every word to his songs, but he makes time to get ignored by rich folks smh,” Brown wrote
.While many called out Brown for seemingly stealing someone else’s tweet instead of just reposting, others agreed with the former pro athlete’s criticism of Jay-Z.
“A true house ni**a. Jay Z would tap dance with blackface on if they told him to,” one critic wrote.
“Jay sold out years ago!! He love bending over for the rich white folks,” added someone else.
Another critic shared a few throwback photos of Jay-Z and Brady, claiming that “birds of a feather flock together.”
Jay-Z, the NFL’s music entertainment strategist, has been friends with Brady for years. The two have crossed paths when attending events hosted by Fanatics CEO and mutual friend Michael Rubin. In May, Brady and Hova were tapped to speak to NFL rookies about navigating their newfound fame after being drafted.
Most recently, Jay-Z joined Alicia Keys to perform their classic “Empire State of Mind” at the 2024 Tony Awards. It’s not often that Hova hits the stage. But when he does, he makes sure that it’s worthwhile. There was no word on whether he was invited to perform at any Hip-Hop 50 events, and he declined.
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