IN THE STREETS & ON THE WEB

Daily Show Goes In On Jay-Z For Hypocrisy On Barney's Racial Profiling

Let’s hope the suddenly silent rapper Jay Z hasn’t lost his sense of humor.
The 43-year-old hip-hop mogul got the full “Daily Show” treatment Wednesday as host Jon Stewart addressed racial profiling allegations at Barneys — and hit Jay Z hard for his continued relationship with the luxury department store.

Jay Z being caught in the middle of the controversy is “not as awkward a position as sitting handcuffed in the back of a police car wearing the $300 belt you just bought,” scoffed Stewart.

He then turned it over to “Daily Show” correspondent Larry Wilmore, who spoofed Kanye West’s infamous comments about George W. Bush by saying, “Jay Z doesn’t care about black people.”

The once outspoken rapper’s newfound silence was a sign of his success, Wilmore explained.

“He’s got a multimillion-dollar brand to protect … He’s not Jay Z, he’s Jay Z Penney!”
The Daily News first reported last month a lawsuit filed by Trayon Christian, 19, of Queens, who claimed he was profiled after buying a $349 Ferragamo belt from the Barneys flagship store on Madison Ave.

“Make up your mind, America,” Wilmore joked. “You can’t tell brothers to pull up our pants and then arrest us when we buy a belt.”

Kayla Phillips, 21, of Brooklyn, levied similar allegations about Barneys treatment of her after she bought a $2,500 designer bag.

Jay Z will launch a product line at Barneys on Nov. 20, including a fragrance called “Gold.”

“Everything is proceeding as planned,” a store source said.

Jay Z was criticized by fans for not speaking out when the profiling allegations surfaced. He eventually released a statement saying he was gathering the facts and would speak after Barneys officials met with community leaders. The meeting passed and he didn’t say another word.

Given its contract with Jay Z, Barneys should have been prepared for black shoppers, Stewart said.

“They forgot to have that staff meeting where they said, ‘Guess who’s coming to Barneys,’” he said.

They went in on Jay & everything they said was the bitter truth!