Nelly again defends decision to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration
Nelly decided to perform at Donald Trump’s second inauguration and has defended himself despite criticism about him aligning with the controversial president. The ‘Hot in Herre’ rapper addressed his performance at the Liberty Ball, claiming that he’s not been afraid to go with his gut throughout his career, which has proved successful.
“I’ve been catching haters my whole career,” he told CBS News. “I always try to think forward and I also try to trust in myself in the sense of when I truly believe that I’m doing what’s right and I truly believe I have a plan to help get things done.”
The rapper added: “I’ve been getting backlash since ‘04 when I decided I wanted to do a song with Tim McGraw. When I decided in 2004, it was kinda unheard of. Now you look at some of the artists that’s come along. There’s Shaboozey. If you look at what ‘The Queen’ Beyoncé was able to do with Cowboy Carter.”
He continued, “I did it in ‘04 when people had a lot of words to say about it. You would say that I was catching backlash then, but it was forward thinking. Because I always try to stay positive and think that what I’m doing is in the best interest of uniting.”
During another interview with Geto Boys’ Willie D, Nelly further defended his decision by claiming his performance was nothing to do with politics, while bringing up his family’s history in the military.
“I respect the office. This isn’t politics. Politics for me is over; [Trump] won, he’s the Commander-in-Chief,” he said on Willie D Live. “I was born in a military base in Austin. My father served, my grandfather served, my uncle served, my auntie served. I’ve been entertaining the troops all over this world.”
“If these people can give their live for the office, Nelly can perform for it. I love this country as well. It is an honour for me to perform for the President of the United States, regardless of who is in office,” he added.
Nelly stated he would have performed if any president had asked him to hit the stage, whether it was former president Joe Biden or Kamala Harris, who was running against Trump.
“If President Biden would have asked me to perform, I would’ve performed,” he said. “If Vice President Kamala Harris would’ve won and asked me to perform, I would’ve performed. I did a thing with Vice President Kamala Harris last year or a year or two ago, a Juneteenth event. I respect the office, it wasn’t politics.”