Jay Z Strikes a Deal With Barneys That’s All About Jay Z

The rapper's solution to racial profiling? Himself.

By Jamilah King Nov 18, 2013

After facing mounting criticism for his business partnership with Barneys after the luxury retailer was accussed of racial profiling, rapper Jay Z has brokered a compromise: Barneys will now donate 100 percent of the proceeds from A New York Holiday, a Christmas collection of luxury items, to the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation and the rapper himself will lead a review into the company’s actions. 

The Atlantice Wire detailed the story on Friday after Jay Z released a statement on his Life + Times website that detailed his plans. 

While I await the findings of the Attorney General’s Office, I have agreed to move forward with the launch of BNY SCC collection under the condition that I have a leadership role and seat on a council specifically convened to deal with the issue of racial profiling. I am in a unique position to use my voice to affect change to this disturbing issue. The easy position would have been to walk away and leave policy making to others hoping that someone addresses the problem. I will not leave the outcome to others. I will take this into my own hands with full power to recommend, review and revise policies and guidelines moving forward. I am choosing to take this head on.

According to the New York Times, charges of profiling skyrocketed after a change in the store’s policy after the retailer hired a new security team to fight a recent rash of thefts. The new council will reconsider and revise Barneys’ current security policies, according to The Wire