Jay Z and Beyoncé have given “tens of thousands” to pay bail for protesters imprisoned during the Baltimore riots, it was claimed in a series of tweets earlier today by the ghostwriter of Jay Z’s 2010 autobiography Decoded, dream hampton (like bell hooks, she seems not to capitalize her name). The tweets, which have now been deleted, stated that “When we needed money for bail for Baltimore protesters, I asked hit Jay up[sic], as I had for Ferguson, wired tens of thousands in mins.” Hampton was apparently frustrated by criticism aimed at Jay and Beyoncé for not using their huge fame and influence to do more for the black community.
Each month seems to bring another report of young black men dying at the hands of police (like Eric Garner, who pleaded “I can’t breathe” before dying in a police chokehold) or in police custody (Freddie Gray) or being shot dead by a neighborhood watch volunteer (Trayvon Martin), with the police usually getting off scot free. Hampton claims the king and queen of R&B are actually doing a lot for the cause behind the scenes, and not just to bail out protesters, but also for campaign infrastructure: “When BLM [Black Lives Matter] needed infrastructure money for the many chapters that we’re growing like beautiful dandelions, Carters wrote a huge check.”
The tweets have now been deleted, suggesting that hampton’s initial claim that she doesn’t “care if Jay gets mad” is not strictly accurate. By way of explanation, hampton tweeted, “welp, I just got the ‘can you shut the fuk up & head to brunch’ text. Gonna erase my error ridden rant,” adding wryly, “Hope you got your little screenshot.” It’s unclear what the specific errors she was referring to are, but she has reconfirmed in a tweet that is currently live that, “It’s true they gave, which is why I tweeted it. but I erased it within minutes, because ppl believe what they want to.”