Because of lackluster sales of his over-hyped, ballyhooed Tidal music service, rapper Jay-Z flew into a curious and rare public tirade about his struggles as a black man. During a recent concert performance, Beyonce’s husband even evoked the names of Freddie Gray and Trayvon Martin to express the grief he feels trying to build a business while trying to rip free from the grip of the white man’s oppression.
However, an image has been circulating online that has led some to wonder if Jay-Z is truly committed to hiring black people. The image features he and Beyonce taking a picture with a large staff that appears to be 100% white. Critics charge that Jay-Z’s recent on-stage rant about racism was a ploy to get the backing of the black community for his Tidal streaming service without him taking measurable steps toward true diversity within his company.
Jay-Z’s supporters claim that with the company being originally based in Sweden, there are simply no black people to hire. But with Tidal doing business around the globe, employees from a multitude of countries would likely be involved. So, if he chose to surpass the 103,000 black people in the country of Sweden, there would surely be others willing to move in order to take the job.
A better answer in Jay-Z’s defense might be the fact that, despite the perception being given to the public, Jay-Z is not the majority owner of Tidal. Instead, the company is owned by numerous artists and investors, with Jay-Z serving as the public face of the venture.
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