Alfred Romero
11/17/2022
Professor Frank
Introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism
QCQ#10
From their song “Apeshit”, the Carters, specifically Jay-Z, states that he said “no to the superbowl” and that he doesn’t need them. Furthermore, he closes this NFL segment by stating that the Carters are always in the endzone and “in stadiums too” (3:33-3:39).
This song brings me back as it was released during my sophomore year of high school. I really wish Beyonce would make more songs like this, or maybe she does and I’m just not taking the effort to search deeper. Regardless, great song by great artists, but this line makes me think of Parker’s chapter on race studies. The concept of race-blind racism is what I think of when I read this line. I see this concept as the majority of the NFL’s team owners and leadership roles are filled by caucasian straight males. While it may be sort of a stretch, this could be rooted back to racial history as it may signify caucasians having the controlling power over African American subjects. With the emergence of a new racial tension wave during this time period as I believe this was around Kaepernick’s kneel, Jay-Z is essentially defying this fixed societal system, even further stating that a huge organization would need them but that need wouldn’t be mutual. It doesn’t matter to the Carters as they’re living in luxury already. I like this statement by them, not just in the sense of racial tension, but also in the more broad context of not having to feel obligated to be a yes-person for a large organization.
I’d love to meet the Carters one day. If I could, I’d ask them how deep they think racism is rooted within this country. How far is it in terms of large organizations like the NFL, or even through smaller examples?
