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| JAY Z |
Pulling out of Barneys would deprive underprivileged students of the 25 percent of sales proceeds slated for The Shawn Carter Foundation, he said in the statement, which was released as criticism mounted over his collaboration with the scandal-scarred retail chain.
Two young shoppers, both black, have accused Barneys of sending police officers to detain and question them after they made expensive purchases at the Manhattan flagship store.
“I am not making a dime from this collection; I do not stand to make millions, as falsely reported,” the rapper insisted.
“I haven’t made any comments because I am waiting on facts and the outcome of a meeting between community leaders and Barneys,” he said, a reference to a planned
Tuesday confab between store execs and the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
“Why am I being demonized, denounced and thrown on the cover of a newspaper for not speaking immediately?” the rapper wrote. “The negligent, erroneous reports and attacks on my character, intentions, and the spirit of this collaboration have forced me into a statement I didn’t want to make without the full facts.
“Making a decision prematurely to pull out of this project wouldn’t hurt Barneys or Shawn Carter, but all the people that stand a chance at higher education,” he added.
Barneys New York has been promoting the 25 percent charity donation for weeks, long before the controversy broke last week.
Still, Jay Z’s “I’m not making any profit” claim left many online posters skeptical.
“Wait, so who is getting the other 75 percent of all sales?” asked one poster, to lifeandtimes.com, who used the name “Cashmere Thoughts.”
Sharpton on Saturday said he would hold off any decision on boycotting or marching on the retailer until after Tuesday’s meeting.
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