Colin Kaepernick has publicly responded to Jay-Z name-dropping him during a freestyle performance at Yankee Stadium this past July. The former NFL quarterback addressed the moment during a sit-down interview on Dateline NBC's Before & After With Lester Holt, set to air September 7.
Kaepernick did not hold back. "First and foremost, what it speaks to is power of people," Kaepernick told host Lester Holt. "The backlash that [Jay-Z] received for partnering with the NFL and going counter to people's interests in 2019 was a major problem for him, so much so that he's still bringing it up in 2026."
He continued: "People are now realizing, 'Why are you so comfortable stepping into these positions that are counter to the positions that people on the ground actually want?' And to me, I view that as speaking to a guilty conscience and trying to reposition or reframe the conversation."
According to Billboard, Jay-Z's freestyle came during the first night of his Yankee Stadium residency and was directed at critics of his exclusive Reasonable Doubt vinyl partnership with Target. Civil rights groups have been boycotting the retail chain over what they describe as a lack of DEI initiatives. In the freestyle, Jay-Z referenced Kaepernick while defending himself against online critics.
The rapper spit: "They run out of characters, had to bring back up Kap again. Buddy took a check, I ain't even mad at him, but along with that check you gotta sign a non-disparagement. I'm the one they can't control, y'all better be glad it's him. Half a billion back to the community, that's just good math for him. I don't listen to Twitter activists, they type and I laugh at them. It's really no comparison, y'all check my stats again. I'm bringin' folks back to they family, laws get passed 'cause him."
NBC is also reporting that Kaepernick's upcoming memoir, The Perilous Fight, will not be sold at Target stores. Billboard noted it reached out to Jay-Z's representatives for comment but had not received a response.
