JAY-Z flatly denied that he and Beyoncé were trying to make a political statement by sitting during the national anthem before Sunday's Super Bowl, TMZ reports.
The music mogul made the comments Tuesday while giving a speech at Columbia University, where he was asked by a professor if the incident was political, replying, "It actually wasn't. Sorry."
The rapper explained that he and his wife jumped into "artist mode" when Demi Lovato was singing the anthem. "The mics start. Was it too low to start?" he said.
He went on to say that he doesn't need to make a "silent protest" because by working with the NFL, he's already "making the biggest loudest protest of all" through choosing culturally diverse acts like Jennifer Lopez and Shakira to perform.