Jay Z Won't Drop Barneys Partnership, But Wants Bigger Say Over Policies; Gambles His Street Cred to Make a Difference from the Inside

Jay Z is gambling that he can make more of a difference from the inside. Jay Z won’t drop his Barneys collaboration even as the retailer has come under fire for racial profiling a teenager for Shopping While Black. Jay Z wants to have more input into the store policies. The rapper is gambling his street cred.

Barneys called the cops on a black teenager who bought an expensive belt. A clerk determined the working college student couldn’t afford so expensive an item. The hip-hop icon and entrepreneur wants to help guide Barneys' review of its policies. He can’t do that from the outside, so Jay Z won’t back out the launch of his BNY SCC holiday.

Luxury retailer Barneys New York was accused of racial profiling two black customers at its Manhattan flagship store. Jay Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, says he can better scrutinize the third party investigation. The rap mogul says he has been in contact with the New York State Attorney General's office, but say the findings "are not yet available."

In a statement Jay Z wrote to his website he said, "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 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."

The Jay Z/Barneys collaboration launches this. All of the sales from BNY SCC holiday line will go to Jay Z’s charity, the Shawn Carter Foundation. The foundation offers college scholarships to underprivileged students. 10 percent of Barneys take will also go into the Foundation.