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Jay-Z, Tidal n’nem announced that there would be a 4:44 tour. Although there were reports that claimed the tickets went up to $10k, the actual prices ranged from the low $50 to the mid $400 range for those who have Tidal and can actually see them. It’s not astronomical as far as big name entertainment is concerned. But still the median $200 for one night is nothing to sneeze at. And it wasn’t long before people starting suggesting that the price of Jay-Z’s tickets were antithetical to the message of his album, particularly the song “The Story of O.J.” where the rapper speaks about the importance of spending wisely and Black wealth.
He says: “You wanna know what’s more important than throwin’ away money at a strip club? Credit.”
So when people learned of the tickets prices, memes and Facebook statuses like this one were created.
Listen, I get it. For some people $200 is no big deal. And even for those who still might struggle to make the night happen, they chalk it up to spending money on experiences. Which some people are advising you should spend your money on these days, as opposed to material things that will eventually depreciate or fall apart entirely. The experience of seeing one of your favorite artists in concert can live in your mind for a minute and the way you felt while watching, perhaps a lifetime.
But to each his or her own. You know what your bank account is doing. And while we may pretend not to, most of us know what we should and shouldn’t be spending. People saying they’re not going to the Jay-Z concert because they need to stack their coins is not the reason for this article.
It was a couple of comments that rubbed me the wrong way.
“…because he haven’t paid any bills or supported anybody in my family.”
“I’m just gone keep it 100. Jay got his money. I’m still working on mine! I’ll cash him ousside!”
I call out these particular comments because this is not the first time I’ve seen or heard Black people use this rationale. Interestingly enough, I notice that’s it’s often and only used when it comes to supporting other Black entertainers, businesses and individuals.
Very few people say, “Nike is not paying my bills so I won’t be buying their shoes.”
“Steve Jobs has taken enough of my money, I don’t need the new iPhone.”
“Mercedes, Cadillac, Lexus, Bentley (insert your favorite car company here) don’t even know I exist, why should I support them?”
For those who don’t drop that much money, we don’t say, “Forever 21 ain’t done nothing for me so I won’t be falling for that sale.”
No, when we want something we get it. Because after all, no one pays our bills but ourselves. It’s just the Black folks, the people who come from where we come from but made it anyway, the people we see as our direct competition who don’t deserve our support.
What we can argue about Jay-Z though is that he’s actually invested in our interests. His album was proof of that. He’s trying to speak to Black people specifically about wealth building. More importantly, he’s taken on addressing the enormous and necessary work of Black men healing themselves so they can be better partners to be Black women. The world needs that in the worst way. Before that he’s partnered with the Weinstein company to produce a film about the life of Kalief Browder, the boy-turned man who was unjustly incarcerated on Riker’s Island. Before that he and his wife quietly bailed out the people who participated in one of the many Black Lives Matter protests.
And he donated the proceeds from his Tidal concert to the same organization.
Honestly y’all, Jay-Z aint paying our bills but he is using his talent, his time and his money, some of the very money we give him, to empower and uplift the Black community, specifically.
How many of us can say the same about our favorite entertainers more less some of the multi-million and billion dollar corporations we choose to support over and over and over again without so much as a question about whether or not they care about us.
The post To The People Who Won’t Attend A Jay-Z Concert Because He Doesn’t Pay Their Bills appeared first on MadameNoire.