Listen to Jay Z call out hypocritical consumers in a Tidal-defending freestyle


Despite launching to much fanfare back in March, Jay Z's Tidal streaming service has struggled to gain ground in the crowded music-streaming industry. And while points about Tidal's lack of a free, lower-tier option or the limited appeal of its promised "exclusive content" can be made, the hip-hop mogul behind it all isn't afraid to call out hypocritical consumers for Tidal's struggles, as he did Saturday night in a show exclusively for the service's subscribers:
Yes, you heard that right: Jay Z called out fellow entrepreneurs in the music business for prioritizing money and name-checked three high-profile black victims of violence before calling black consumers hypocritical for not supporting him, as a black musician. Not sure that's a sustainable marketing pitch — but hey, maybe if Tidal can bring some more freestyles from Jigga, it'll gain ground.
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Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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