Trayvon Martin's Parents Explain Why They Chose Jay-Z For "Rest In Power" Doc

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Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin attend 'Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story' Screening on July 26, 2018 in Venice, California
Sabrina Fulton and Tracy Martin speak on Jay-Z, George Zimmerman and more.

It's been over six years since Trayvon Martin was murdered at 17-years-old. Last night, the documentary "Rest In Power: The Enduring Life Of Trayvon Martin" premiered on BET. The six-part documentary series was chosen as the executive producer for the project. Trayvon Martin's parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin recently sat down with Hot 97 to speak on their decision to choose Jay-Z as executive producer, George Zimmerman and more.

Sybrina Fulton explained that they didn't meet Jay-Z the rapper when they first spoke on the documentary; they met Shawn Carter. She said that the people she chose for the project, including Jay-Z, were people that she felt would represent their story as best as possible.

"One of the things I always say is that JAY-Z was the person that came to the table, but who we met with was Shawn Carter,” Fulton said. "It was a different person—he’s more business. He talks as a father, a husband, a son-in-law. It’s a different type of person that comes to the table when you’re doing business. It’s not the JAY-Z that I go to the concert, Hov, that I see at his concerts and TV and stuff like that. It's not the same person, and a lot of people don’t understand that until they do business with him. But the business, Shawn Carter, came to our meeting and he expressed to us that this was something that he really wanted to do."

Additionally, they touched on George Zimmerman's alleged stalking of the documentary's producers.

"Here's a known killer. He moves when he want to move. He moves in an area that he wants to move in. Don't get it twisted. He's not going to move in society where society can see him. He'll move in his little pockets and threaten people he want to threaten." Tracy Martin said.

Peep the full interview below. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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