Janelle Monáe Blasts Nelly’s Trump Inauguration Performance at Grammy Afterparty
At a Grammy afterparty, Janelle Monáe went off on Nelly about his Trump inauguration performance. “F— you!” she yelled, adding “Nelly, you sold out. I used to think he was cool, but now you look like a motherf—ing fool,” according to Entertainment Weekly.
The rapper stood by his decision to perform at the Liberty Ball. “I respect the office… This isn’t politics. The politics, for me, is over. He won. He’s the president. He’s the commander in chief of what I would like to say is the best country in the world,” Nelly told GB News.
Defending his choice, Nelly said he would perform for any current president – Biden and Harris included. He compared it to serving in the military, pointing out that soldiers do their job regardless of who’s president.
The Liberty Ball moved inside Washington DC due to freezing temperatures that evening. The packed lineup included the Village People, Jason Aldean, and Billy Ray Cyrus. Trump made appearances at two other parties: the Commander-in-Chief Ball and the Starlight Ball.
During her high-energy performance with Anderson .Paak, Monáe didn’t mince words. Her harsh words echoed other artists who called out Trump’s policies throughout the awards ceremony.
The incident deeply divided Nelly’s fanbase. Many fans turned their backs on his music entirely, despite his previous doubts about Trump’s leadership in 2017.
