Jemele Hill & Charlamagne Defend Jay-Z’s Exclusive Target Promo Amid Boycott

Jay-Z in New York City on June 8, 2026. Photo: Jairo / BACKGRID

Jemele Hill and Charlamagne came out in defense of Jay-Z promoting his exclusive anniversary album at Target amid boycotts.

Jay-Z partnered with Target to promote his new vinyl record to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt. But critics say Jay-Z has a history of showing up when Black people boycott corporations.

Jay-Z and Roc Nation announced a partnership with the NFL in 2019 after the league gave former quarterback Colin Kaepernick his walking papers for kneeling during games. Jay-Z and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Black people it was time to move past kneeling.

Jay-Z’s new partnership with Target sparks fresh debates over his alleged participation in a secret society, Illuminati.

Author and sports commentator Jemele Hill weighed in on the controversy during her appearance on “Higher Learning” podcast. She noted that Kendrick Lamar and other artists promoted their vinyl albums at Target amid the boycotts.

“There’s a lot of people who are just now finding that out, in part because of the boycott,” Jemele said. “We don’t even know if [Jay-Z] actually was the one who spearheaded this partnership.”

Charlamagne also defended Jay-Z on his podcast. “I think it’s selective outrage,” he said. He noted that nearly every major artist promoted their vinyl exclusives at Target. “Why all of a sudden this is an issue because it’s Jay-Z?”

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