

Brooklyn Vegan reports that Janelle Monáe blasted Nelly’s controversial decision to perform at the Liberty Inaugural Ball last month, one of the official events celebrating the inauguration of Donald Trump. Covering his “Hot in Herre” with Anderson .Paak at a West Hollywood Grammys afterparty on Sunday night (2/3) in footage obtained by TMZ, Monáe makes additions to the lyrics, saying, “I used to like Nelly, but then he went to perform for Donald Trump. I’m gonna look back like I don’t give a fuck. I care about women, I care about Hispanics, I care about Spanish people, I care about Mexicans.” Watch the video below:
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Nelly had addressed the backlash to his performance in an interview with Willie D Live, saying, “If you follow what I do, this shouldn’t even be an argument. He’s the president. He won. This isn’t a campaign, this isn’t an RNC. I’m not out on a political campaign. I’m not doing this for money, I’m doing this because it’s an honor. I respect the office. It doesn’t matter who is in office. The same way that our men and women, our brothers and sisters who protect this country, have to go to war and have to put their life on the line for whoever in office. So if they can put their life on the line for whoever in office, I can damn sure perform.” Regardless of his decision, both Nelly and Carrie Underwood (who also has been facing backlash for performing at the Liberty Ball) have been seeing a drop in streaming numbers after the event.
Monáe performed at the Grammys on February 2, where she covered Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” while wearing an “I Heart QJ” shirt during an all-star tribute to Quincy Jones, which also featured Cynthia Erivo, Herbie Hancock, Lainey Wilson, Jacob Collier and Stevie Wonder. Many believe Monáe will be performing at All Things Go 2025 as she has performed at the festival for the last few years.