Jay Z blasted for using names of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown and Freddie Gray in freestyle rap in defense of his streaming service Tidal

• Launched the verbal tirade during the gig at Terminal 5 in New York
• Gave the exclusive performance to subscribers of his Tidal streaming site
• Claimed he was being depicted as 'the bad guy' in the music industry
• Also attacked authorities following deaths of black men at police hands 
• Mentioned Freddie Gray, Mike Brown and referred to Eric Garner when he said 'them continue choking n***as' 

By Jill Reilly For Dailymail.com

Published: 13:48 EST, 22 May 2015 | Updated: 15:37 EST, 22 May 2015

Jay Z has been blasted for using names of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown and Freddie Gray in a freestyle rap in defense of his new streaming service Tidal.

At a private show for Tidal subscribers in New York on Saturday the rapper launched into a blistering attack on those who dare to speak against his new streaming service and named the three unarmed African-American men in a verse which has now received significant publicity.

'You know when I work, I ain't your slave, right? You know I ain't shucking and jiving and high-fiving, and you know this ain't back in the days, right?,' he rapped.

'Well I can't tell how the way they killed Freddie Gray, right? Shot down Mike Brown how they did Tray, right?'

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Putting on a performance: Jay Z was performing at a private show at Terminal 5 in New York for Tidal subscribers when he unleashed a verbal tirade

'Let them continue choking n****s,' he added, referring to Eric Garner, who died after being put in a chokehold by an NYPD officer.

But his words caught the attention of Dr Boyce D. Watkins, Ph.D., who believes Jay-Z now appears 'disingenuous.'

'He's invoking the names of Freddie Gray, Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, which have become somewhat sacred in the black community, and you're invoking those into this conversation you're having about whether your multimillion-dollar corporation is going to be successful or not?' Watkins said to The Wrap.

The rapper launched into a blistering attack on those who dare to speak against his new streaming service and named the three unarmed African-American men in a verse which has now received a lot of publicity. Pictured, left Freddie Gray and right, Michael Brown

'I think that that unfortunately can come off as somewhat disingenuous, because I don't recall Jay Z ever really being that vocal, that irate over any issue that did not involve himself.'

The 45-year-old star also lashed out claiming that African-Americans buy Apple and Nike, but are not joining Tidal - he think it is because the service black-owned. 

'Oh ni**as is skeptical about they own shit. You bought nine iPhones and Steve Jobs is rich. Phil Knight worth trillions, you still bought those kicks. Spotify is nine billion, and they ain't say sh*t! 'Lucy you got some 'splaining to do.'

In response r&b singer Joe Budden said in a podcast: 'What he alluded to was that he faces a different type of oppression because of the color of his skin. Now while he might, I'm not certain that that's true.

Dr Boyce D. Watkins was backed up on Twitter. 'Now Jay-Z is claiming black people should support Tidal because he's black. When in doubt, pull the race card' wrote one user

Another person posted: 'Bullying us into supporting tidal didn't work, so now Jay-Z tryna guilt trip us into supporting it by using the race card'

One user wrote: 'Jay Z has been a cheerleader for white owned companies and brands for years. Now he wants to pull the race card for #Tidal? Aw ok.'

A user who read the article on The Wrap wrote the rapper was 'out of line'

'I think smear campaigns are business. I think the streaming business is very lucrative and beneficial today. And I think as a new person coming in, your competitors would be trying to get you the f*ck out of here. That's one.

'Two, as far as Steve Jobs and we bought nine iPhones and as far as we bought all those sneakers and Phil Knight's a f****** trillionaire – the part that he left out was the iPhone at the time was considered the best product on the market by many. Steve Jobs didn't go to anybody and say, "Hey we're not getting all of our money, so you should purchase this."'

'Nike is considered by many to be the best sneaker on the market. It just so happened that today Tidal is not considered that.' 

Jay-Z freestyles dissing Spotify and YouTube at Tidal concert

Dr Boyce D. Watkins was also backed up on Twitter.

One user wrote: 'Jay Z has been a cheerleader for white owned companies and brands for years. Now he wants to pull the race card for #Tidal? Aw ok.'

Another user wrote: 'Bullying us into supporting tidal didn't work, so now Jay-Z tryna guilt trip us into supporting it by using the race card.' 

While another user posted: 'Now Jay-Z is claiming black people should support Tidal because he's black. When in doubt, pull the race card.' 

Jay Z and Beyonce met with Brown and Gray's families last week at a peace concert in Baltimore by Prince, leaving without making public appearances.

Images of the meetings were posted on social media.

In one shot, Michael Brown's mother Lesley McFadden, posed with Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Tina Knowles. 

During the Rally 4 Peace concert on Mother's Day, Tidal streamers were encouraged to support the Baltimore Justice Fund.

Jay Z said at the time: 'We invite all to experience the music and contribute in their own way to promote peace, tolerance and understanding.

'Our prayers go out to Freddie Gray's family and every family affected by brutality and senseless violence.' 

After his performance in New York, the hip hop mogul's ghost writer said Jay Z and Beyoncé privately donated tens of thousands to bail out protesters in Baltimore and Ferguson.

Activist Dream Hampton, who worked with Jay Z - aka Shawn Carter - on his 2010 autobiography Decoded, also said the Carters wrote a 'huge check' to the Black Lives Matter movement.

These Instagram photos were posted last week: 'Beyoncé & Jay Z with #FreddieGray's family #Rally4Peace'

This picture shows Michael Brown's mother Lesley McFadden with Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and Tina Knowles

The organizer and filmmaker made the reveal in a series of messages on Twitter on Sunday that were subsequently deleted. 

The B-sides show was only open to Tidal subscribers who compiled a playlist of the rappers lesser known tracks as part of a competition. 

He has tried to defend his fledgling streaming service a number of times before. 

At the end of April, he said: 'The iTunes Store wasn't built in a day. It took Spotify 9 years to be successful. We are here for the long haul. Please give us a chance to grow and get better.'

In its first month it flopped in the iTunes app store charts, despite a launch from big names. 

It is not known why the app has dropped so significantly but the price may be considered too high for some users.

Many users who downloaded it and are using it during the trial period may be looking to cancel their subscriptions and uninstall, or alternatively coverage of the app has dropped. 

Music's biggest players launch streaming service TIDAL

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