

St. Louis rapper, Nelly, defended his decision to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration party in an interview with Geto Boys’ Willie D. According to NME, he claimed it is an honor to perform and insisted it was not a decision he made based on money, but rather as something patriotic.
“I’m not doing this for money. I’m doing this because it’s an honor. I respect the office. It don’t matter who is in office. The same way our brothers and sisters go to war to put their life on the line for whoever is in office. So, if they can put their life on the line for whoever is in office, I can damn sure perform for whoever is in office,” he said.
He continued to respond to the criticism boldly saying, “I didn’t know I had to agree with your political choices.” He asserted that since Trump is the new president, there is no denying it and he will perform for whoever is in office.
Nelly listed many of the honorable things he has done in the past to give back to his community that he believed were among the reasons people supported him. He then said, “I did not know you [were] riding with me because you thought I would ride for who you voted for.”
Trump’s second inauguration also includes a lineup of other artists such as Carrie Underwood, Billy Ray Cyrus, Kid Rock and Village People.
Similar to Nelly, Village People received backlash over the same decision of performing at Trump’s inauguration. They believe, “music is to be performed without regard to politics.”
Meanwhile, Nelly is also preparing for his Where the Party at tour that is set to begin in March across the UK and Europe.