Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jay Z joins Instagram, then quits after 24 hours following Michael Jackson tribute photo

It's almost like he thinks he hasn't got anything interesting to share

Chris Mandle
Monday 31 August 2015 15:43 BST
Comments
JAY Z
JAY Z (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Jay Z excited and disappointed his fans in unusually rapid succession this weekend after signing up to Instagram, posting one picture then quitting.

The rapper, posting as @Hovsince96, accumulated 100,000 followers in less than 24 hours. His only update was a birthday message to the late Michael Jackson, who would have turned 57 over the weekend.

"Happy birthday to the King!" he wrote, adding ominously: "This may be my first and last post."

And he was right.

Music executive Michael Kyser, who is a close friend of Jay Z, posted rare footage of Jay Z on Instagram to his own account, urging people to follow him while they still had time.

A photo posted by G (@littleburger) on

So why did Jay Z delete his account? There are a few theories.

Maybe he knew it would be impossible to get 44.4 million followers like his wife, Beyonce.

Or maybe he tried editing the filter on his photo and deleted it by accident.

Or, the most likely theory, maybe in his short time on Instagram he got sick of people taking photos of 'avocado and toast' and using the hashtag #eatcleantraindirty.

That would annoy anyone.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in