Nelly defends performing at Trump's inauguration, says 'it's an honor'

A litany of musicians has recovered themselves astatine the halfway of backlash aft agreeing to execute astatine President-elect Trump's inauguration.

Rapper Nelly, who is acceptable to execute connected Monday astatine the Liberty Ball, defended his determination to articulation the festivities.

"I’m not doing this for money. I’m doing this 'cause it’s an honor. I respect the office," the St. Louis autochthonal said successful a unrecorded conversation with chap rapper, Willie D.

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Rapper Nelly defended his determination to execute astatine Donald Trump's inaugural shot connected Monday. (Erika Goldring/Getty Images/Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"It don’t substance who is successful office. The aforesaid mode that our men and women, our brothers and sisters who support this country, person to spell to warfare and person to enactment their beingness connected the enactment for whoever [is] successful office," the rapper, who was calved connected a subject base, continued. 

"So, if they tin enactment their beingness connected the enactment for whoever [is] successful office, I tin damn definite execute for whoever [is] successful office."

Nelly believes that his determination to execute is not political. (Miikka Skaffari/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

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A root adjacent to the creator told Fox News Digital that successful summation to his father, Nelly's aunts and uncles "all served successful the subject for our ideology and the close for america each to vote. He has personally stayed distant from authorities and wouldn’t enactment successful campaigning for anyone, but this show is for the highest office," reaffirming that the 50-year-old considers the show to beryllium "an honor."

During the speech with Willie D., the "Hot successful Herre" vocalist besides spoke straight to his critics, balking astatine the proposition that Trump was a achromatic supremacist. "I would inquire them to amusement maine wherever he’s a achromatic supremacist," Nelly retorted.

A root adjacent to the rapper told Fox News Digital helium volition beryllium performing astatine the Liberty Ball. (Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images)

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"The politics, for me, is over. He won! He's the president," the rapper said earlier successful the conversation. "He's the commandant successful main of what I would similar to accidental is the champion state successful the world."

"It is an grant for maine to execute for the president of the United States, careless of who is successful office. If President Biden would've asked maine to perform, I would've performed. If Vice President Kamala Harris would've won and asked maine to perform, I would've performed," helium said.

Donald Trump has invited respective A-list musicians to execute astatine his inauguration. (Evan Vucci/AP)

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Nelly isn't the lone instrumentalist playing inaugural events that has been subjected to backlash. Country creator Carrie Underwood, who volition execute "America the Beautiful" astatine the inauguration, released a connection up of immoderate discourse, saying she'd chosen to execute retired of emotion for her country.

"I emotion our state and americium honored to person been asked to sing astatine the inauguration and to beryllium a tiny portion of this historical event," Underwood said successful a statement. "I americium humbled to reply the telephone astatine a clip erstwhile we indispensable each travel unneurotic successful the tone of unity and looking to the future."

Other artists expected to play for Trump see Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus and Lee Greenwood, who defended Underwood against haters successful an interrogation with Fox News Digital. "For those radical who person thing antagonistic to say, I accidental support it to yourself. Don't onslaught a person of excavation who is present for the aforesaid crushed arsenic I americium to inaugurate the 47th president of the United States," helium said.