M.I.A. Says JAY-Z Advised Her To Sign “Modern Day Slavery” Deal After Controversial Super Bowl Performance
M.I.A.’s accusations regarding the character and business dealings of JAY-Z continues.
The singer now alleges that the mogul attempted to force her to sign a “slave” deal regarding her infamous appearance at the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show.
During a conversation with Jaguar Wright on Instagram Live, M.I.A. recalled JAY-Z and Roc Nation drawing up an alleged contract in which the NFL would be entitled to all of her profits.
“I was fighting giants and nobody came to help me. At that time, JAY-Z, Roc Nation was supposed to negotiate that. They wanted me to sign this thing, which was slavery,” the 49-year-old told Wright at one point during the stream. “It was modern day slavery where the NFL takes 100% of my earnings.”
M.I.A. also challenged JAY-Z’s seeming fixation on Black empowerment, arguing that his actions in the realm of business doesn’t align with those sentiments.
“So you can say you’re for Black power, yet you’re doing that,” the hitmaker charged, quoting the teachings of iconic Civil Rights leader Malcolm X.
“Like, how? Malcolm X did say, ‘If you sympathize with oppression anywhere, you sympathize with oppression everywhere.’ You can’t be the oppressing force in one place and be the very thing that cries about oppression, making a billion dollars in the next.”
In February 2012, M.I.A.’s appearance during Madonna’s headlining Super Bowl Halftime Show set caused controversy when M.I.A. was filmed purposely sticking up her middle finger during the nationally televised performance.
The move was in violation of an agreement between the NFL and all performers to negatively impact the league’s image or the viewing experience, leading to the NFL filing a lawsuit against M.I.A. shortly after.
The lawsuit, filed with the American Arbitration Association, initially sought $1.5 million in damages. However, the NFL added an additional $15.1 million to the complaint in 2014, citing M.I.A.’s failure to resolve the lawsuit.
M.I.A. and the NFL would reach an undisclosed settlement later that year.
The British Sri-Lankan songstress previously spoke on the drama regarding the lawsuit, in which she alleges JAY-Z advised her to potentially give up her career earnings.
“If you’re talking about racism and sexism, [the lawsuit] showed the cracks in everyone I knew,” she told Huck Magazine back in 2018.
“I was at Roc Nation at the time and JAY-Z was managing me. The lawsuit was so ridiculous, it proposed that they would keep one hundred percent of my earnings for the rest of my life if I ever earned more than $2 million dollars. JAY-Z was, like, ‘You should sign that sh*t’ and I was, like, ‘No.'”
See M.I.A.’s livestream with Jaguar Wright below.
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