Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By simmons on July 7, 2017

Since releasing his new album 4:44 last week, JAY-Z has come under fire for anti-Semitism perceived in a line from his song The Story of O.J. He raps on the track, You wanna know whats more important than throwin away money at a strip club? Credit/ You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America? This how they did it. Now, the Anti-Defamation League has publicly criticized JAY-Z for the lyric. An ADL representative told Rolling Stone that while JAY-Z had spoken out against anti-Semitism and racism in the past, the line still fed into stereotypes. Such notions have lingered in society for decades, and we are concerned that this lyric could feed into preconceived notions about Jews and alleged Jewish control of the banks and finance, they stated.

In the days since criticism over the lyric has circulated, U2 and Madonnas manager Guy Oseary posted a lengthy defense on Instagram. Russell Simmons also spoke up on his behalf. Besides releasing an animated short for that particular song, JAY-Z invited Kendrick Lamar, Will Smith, and others to discuss racism in an accompanying clip titled Episode One: Footnotes for The Story of O.J. Pitchfork has reached out to JAY-Zs representatives for comment.

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Anti-Defamation League Criticizes JAY-Z for The Story of OJ Jewish Lyric - Pitchfork

Category: Anti-Defamation League
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