“I am a hustler baby, I sell water to a whale...”Hip-Hop heavy-weight, Jay-Z, spits on his 2001 classic, The Blueprint.
Well if there was any doubt that he meant it, he sent shock waves through Occupy Wall Streets crowds by creating a “Occupy all Streets” t-shirt for his Roc-a-wear collection. He really had people protesting corporate greed ready to spend over $20 on a t-shirt, with no plans to donate to the movement, just to capitalize off of its momentum.
Without warning, though, he pulled the shirt from Roc-a-wear’s website, and a spokesman released an unofficial statement:
“The ‘Occupy All Streets’ T-shirt was created in support of the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement.” He adds, “Roc-a-wear strongly encourages all forms of constructive expression, whether it be artistic, political or social.
“‘Occupy All Streets’ is our way of reminding people that there is change to be made everywhere, not just on Wall Street. At this time we have not made an official commitment to monetarily support the movement.”
Jay-Z took some heat after being photographed wearing the shirt in a picture standing next to Russell Simmons.
An Occupy Wall Street leader known as Grim was quoted by TMZ as saying, “Jay-Z, as talented as he is, has the political sensibility of a hood rat and is a scrotum. To attempt to profit off of the first important social moment of 50 years with an overpriced piece of cotton is an insult to the fight for economic civil rights known as #occupywallstreet.”
Weigh in YBGossip fam: Was a Jay-Z’s move good business sense, bad political sense --- or both?
1 comment:
He should dedicating the profits of selling his "occupy wall street" t-shirt to the movement. He still has that drug dealer mentality, " I've got to get mine", does'nt he know anything about giving or giving back
Carl T. Morgan /chicago IL
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