activism

Jay Z Would Much Rather Talk About Activism Than Donald Trump

Don’t ask Jay Z about Trump. Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Spike TV

Wednesday night, Jay Z made a somewhat surprise appearance at Sundance to screen his new documentary on Kalief Browder. But, given the rarity of a Jay Z sighting, one reporter attempted to get Jay Z to talk about Donald Trump. “I’m not gonna answer that,†said Jay Z, with his new creative partner Harvey Weinstein intervening to end the interview. During a panel for the documentary, however, Jay Z took the high road and addressed the current political climate surrounding Trump’s fledgling presidency without ever saying his name. The Daily Beast reports that Jay Z threw his support behind last weekend’s Women’s March — which Beyoncé also publicly promoted beforehand — and made the case for why such large-scale acts of resistance will be a constant necessity in the years ahead. “I hate to sound like such a cynic. Everything is based on votes, and who you can put in office. We have to organize, †he urged the audience. “I’ve been in these meetings, I’ve spoken with people, I’ve done many things behind the scenes, but most important: We are the power … that display of woman power the other day was so amazing and we saw the effect: That no matter what, no matter who’s in office, we are the people that’s in power.â€

Jay Z Encourages Activism in Trump’s America