Jay-Z Spoke With Minnesota Governor Tim Walz About the George Floyd Case

Jay-Z reportedly called the governor of Minnesota in order to demand that all four officers who were involved in the death of George Floyd be brought to justice. He explained the conversation in a statement sent out by Roc Nation.

In the statement, the music mogul thanked Governor Tim Walz for being open to having a candid, “earnest” conversation. He also urged prosecutors involved with the case to “do the right thing and prosecute all those responsible for the murder of George Floyd to the fullest extent of the law.”

“I prevail on every politician, prosecutor, and officer in the country to have the courage to do what is right,” he said. “Have the courage to look at us as humans, dads, brothers, sisters, and mothers in pain. And look at yourselves.”

In a press conference, Governor Walz discussed his conversation with Jay, stating that he wasn’t coming to him as a billionaire musician and businessman, but as a “dad, stressing to me that justice needs to be served.”

“I think, quite honestly, [as] a black man whose visceral pain of [Floyd’s death] that he knew. His words summarized that justice needs to be served here,” Governor Walz said. “He said he feels the compassion and the humanity of these folks who are speaking. He knows the world is watching, and how Minnesota handles this is going to have an impact across the country. It’s a positive sign that someone of [his] stature, that has a presence like that, is focused in the moment of what Minnesotans are focused on.”

Over the weekend, Beyoncé posted a video of herself discussing the need for change in the aftermath of Floyd’s death, stating “We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalize this pain.”