After JAY-Z and Beyoncé stirred up controversy among many on Twitter when they chose not to stand during the National Anthem at this year's Super Bowl, it turns out they weren't trying to make any sort of political statement.
JAY-Z recently made an appearance at Columbia University on Tuesday. The music mogul sat for a Q&A with a university professor who asked if he and his wife's decision to remain seated during Demi Lovato's delivery of the National Anthem was an attempt to "convey a signal."
"It actually wasn't. Sorry." JAY-Z said, definitively, TMZ reports.
According to the 50-year-old artist -- who recently partnered with the National Football League to collaborate on entertainment events -- he and his wife "immediately jumped into artist mode" during the performance, and didn't mean to make it look like they were making any sort of political statement.
"I'm really just looking at the show," JAY-Z explained. "The mics start. Was it too low to start?"
For JAY-Z and Beyoncé, the focus was looking at Lovato's performance from a professional standpoint to see how the functional operations of her apperance were orchestrated.
According to the artist, he and Beyoncé didn't need to make a "silent protest" of any kind during the National Anthem because they were already "making the biggest loudest protest of all" by their selection of racially and culturally diverse musical artists to perform during the pregame show and the halftime show -- namely Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
The pair delivered an exciting and impressive performance of their biggest hits, but also used the platform to make some striking political statements of their own -- including having child performers sing inside of neon cages, which were seen by many as a subtle but powerful condemnation of family separations and the controversial immigration policies that have been expanded under President Donald Trump.
