No one has forgotten Nelly’s decision to play Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The Country Grammar rapper recently discussed the backlash on Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning, where he explained his performance wasn’t about being “pro-Donald Trump” but having “respect for office.”
He added that he doesn’t “agree with everything” Trump does and that he’s never “endorsed any president.”
When The Shade Room shared the clip, Nelly felt compelled to defend his position even further by jumping into the comments and leaving a long message, arguing that even though the Black community is mad at him for performing at the inauguration, he and Snoop Dogg—who also performed for Trump—“do more in the community and have been doing for over 20 + years against any of you that are just on here talking trash.”
Nelly also said that he and Snoop should be viewed as “inspiring” because they are Black men who married “beautiful” Black women and had Black children. He then took shots at Kamala Harris.
“Some of y’all have a problem with [us] because the prosecutor who has probably locked up more Black men that we’ve helped woman of color with the white husband and white kids did not win the election,” he wrote.
"It’s my respect for the office meaning any president that calls upon Nelly it would be a honor.. nothing to do with money," echoing previous comments he made about the gig. "Nothing to do with race but if you wanna make it about race, then let’s goooooooooooooo I find it very interesting.”
It’s important to note that Trick Daddy claimed Nelly was paid $1.5 million for the inauguration performance.
Nelly’s remarks arrive at around the same time that a clip from his and Ashanti’s reality show, Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together, surfaced, showing the singer’s mother reacting to Nelly potentially playing Trump’s event.
In the video, Ashanti tells her mother, Tina Douglas, that Nelly is considering the performance. Douglas was shocked, saying it was “emotional” for her, considering her father was a civil rights activist.
“As your mom and your manager, it’s my job to make sure you can voice your opinion on what you feel and what you know,” Douglas says. At that point in the video, Nelly walked in and confirmed that he was performing.
