Jay-Z Says He And Beyoncé Were In 'Artist Mode' During Super Bowl National Anthem

Jay-Z has spoken out in reaction to the backlash his family received for not standing during the national anthem at Super Bowl 2020. However, his response may surprise you.

The hip-hop mogul was at Columbia University on Tuesday, when a professor asked him about if he and his wife Beyoncé’s decision to remain seated was meant to “convey a signal,” TMZ reports.

“It actually wasn’t,” Jay-Z replied causing the audience to laugh. “Sorry...It was not premeditated at all.”

He went on to explain that if he decided to protest, he would have no problem owning up to it. However, he says this wasn’t what this situation was. Instead, he says Beyoncé expressed feeling “nervous” as showtime approached, which he attributed to her experience performing at Super Bowl. He jokingly noted that he had not.

“So we get there and we immediately jump into artist mode,” he explained.

As International Business Times previously reported, Jay-Z’s partnership with the NFL has given him a say when it comes to selecting and organizing musical performances for the league.

He spent some time explaining to the Columbia University audience that he selected a Miami choir for Yolanda Adams’ rendition of “America the Beautiful.” In that spiel, he revealed that he was completely focused on production qualities such as mic levels during the performances.

“And then right after [Adams’ performance], Demi [Lovato] comes out,” he recalls. “And we’re talking about how beautiful she looked and how she sounds. And what she’s going through in her life for her to be on this stage and we’re so proud of her.”

“The Story of O.J.” rapper said that once Lovato’s performance was over, he received a text from someone questioning his decision to stay seated. HOV explained that if the couple was protesting, they wouldn’t have brought that type of attention to their daughter Blue Ivy Carter. Not to mention the fact that the 8-year-old would have not been able to keep her cool.

“If we told [Blue] we were going to do something like that, you would see her tapping me a 100 times,” he explained as the crowd laughed. “She would say, ‘What time? Are we doing it now?’”

He went on to say that him sitting during the national anthem as a form of protest wasn’t even necessary.

“I didn’t have to make a silent protest,” he explained. “If you look at the stage, the artists we chose…We were making the biggest, loudest protest of all. Giving the context, I didn’t have to make a silent protest.”