Multi-millionaire rapper-producer turned business mogul Dr. Dre posed for a “defiant” kneeling photo with former NFL player and national anthem protester Colin Kaepernick on Sunday.
“Defiant,” read the caption on photo, which Dr. Dre shared with his five million Instagram followers.
The comments show that the post found mixed reception with many people scoffing at the two multi-millionaires — Dr. Dre is worth an estimated $770 million — taking a knee for “oppression” as they took a knee wearing pricey shoes and brand name Nike clothing. But many celebs chimed in thrilled over the photo.
Dr. Dre’s kneeling post was applauded by a slew of celebrities, including NBA stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Isaiah Thomas, rapper Busta Rhymes, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and more.
Kaepernick, of course, continues to make millions from his protests against the United States. The former San Francisco 49er signed a deal with entertainment giant Disney to produce programs highlighting “racial injustice.” And last month he joined the board of the Medium.com blogging platform to push race issues across the platform.
Kaepernick kicked up even more controversy over the July Fourth weekend this year calling Independence Day a “white supremacist” celebration and claiming “we reject” your holiday.
For his part, the Beats By Dre mogul recently divorced Nicole Young, his wife of 24 years, who filed for spousal support from his more than $700 million estate. Dr. Dre has been accused of violence against women in several cases. Singer Michel’ le, for instance, claims that when they were dating in the late 1980s, Dre came home drunk and began beating her as she slept. She also said he fired a handgun at her once, as well. In another case, Hip Hop journalist Dee Barnes sued Dre accusing him of brutally beating her in 1990.
In 2017, Dre said he was “out of his mind” when he beat Barnes and made a public apology to all the women he mistreated in his younger days, saying that he “deeply regrets” what he did and knows that it has “forever impacted all of our lives.”
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