Indeed a controversy began when The Nets (a team which Jay is a co-owner) announced on Jan, 18 that they sold the name of their new Brooklyn Arena over the next 20 years to Barclays Bank for $400 millions.

If a lot of people are glad just like Jigga that the team will be located in Brooklyn, politicians and journalists have raised the controversy over this deal with a Bank that was founded by a family who profited from slavery in the 18th century and had close relationships with the South-African government in the 1980s.

Last year, Jay-Z stopped drinking and serving Cristal in its clubs after an executive from Roederer (Cristal’s Producing Company) made disparaging remarks about rappers and their affinity for the bubbly, adding that it would be better for their brand if rappers would drink others champaigns. Jay-Z did not comment this news for now.

Barclays, for its part, says its slave-trade past should be understood in the context of history, and says that it will spend $2.5 million on enhancing basketball courts all over the borough of Brooklyn.