—Marcus Davis, B1Daily

Let’s be real, Jay-Z has been a coon for years.

The man who once rapped about moving bricks now moves merch, and his latest Target partnership just confirms what we’ve known for decades: he’ll sell out for the right price.

Remember Reasonable Doubt Jay? The one who spat “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man” with conviction? That guy is long gone. In his place? A boardroom hustler who’d rather slap his name on champagne bottles and streaming services than stand for anything remotely radical. The same man who built an empire off Black struggle now cuts deals with corporations that exploit it. Target? Really? The same mega-chain that’s been accused of union-busting and predatory pricing in Black neighborhoods?

But this isn’t new. Jay’s been cozying up to corporate America since he traded his Roc-A-Fella chain for a suit at Def Jam. The NFL deal was bad enough, profiting off a league that blackballed Colin Kaepernick while pretending to care about social justice. Now it’s Target, a company that’s about as “for the culture” as a suburban soccer mom’s Pinterest board.

And let’s not pretend this is about “elevating Black business.” If Jay wanted to uplift, he’d invest in independent Black retailers, not funnel more cash into a Fortune 500 company that profits off systemic inequity. But hey, why bother when you can just slap “TIDAL x TARGET” on a tote bag and call it empowerment?

Jay-Z didn’t become a sellout, he perfected the art. And every deal like this is just another nickel in the couch cushions of his billion-dollar empire. The revolution won’t be monetized, but Hov’s legacy? Already sold to the highest bidder.

Wake up. The throne’s empty.

—Marcus Davis, B1Daily