Janelle Monáe blasted Nelly for performing at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration last month.
The 39-year-old rapper criticized Nelly at a Grammys afterparty in Los Angeles on Sunday, according to a video of the event obtained by TMZ. At the party, she and Anderson .Paak were performing Nelly’s song, “Hot in Herre.”
However, Monáe decided to change up the lyrics a bit to insult Nelly for supporting Trump.
“F*** Nelly!” she shouted, as shown in the video posted by the publication on X. She went on to rap: “I used to like Nelly, but then he went to perform for Donald Trump.”
Her remark came after the President issued a series of executive orders aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the federal government and the private sector.
“I care about women. I care about Hispanics,” Monáe — who performed during Quincy Jones’ tribute event at the Grammys on Sunday — continued. “Nelly, you sold out. I used to think he was cool, but now you look like a motherf***ing fool.”
The “I Like That” singer concluded with: “F*** you, you get a new attitude.”
On January 20, Nelly was one of the many famous faces who performed at the Liberty Ball. Two days later, the singer addressed the backlash he faced for agreeing to do this show.
“We tend to sometimes make a quick… response to something that on the surface may seem f***ed up because we don’t agree…” he said during an appearance on the Willie D Live podcast. “I’m not political. I’m not out here trying to tell anyone who they should vote for. This is not a campaign trail.”
He also urged fans to do their own research before jumping to conclusions, adding: “I’m clueless on a lot of things when it gets down to it. So what I tend to say is, yo, do your homework and make your own decisions about it.”
He then encouraged his fans to “respect the office,” claiming the election wasn’t about “politics” for him since Trump had already won the election.
“He’s the president, he’s the commander-in-chief. What I would like to say is that this is the best country in the world,” Nelly concluded.
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During the Grammys, Alicia Keys also hit back at Trump’s policies, as she defended diversity initiatives.
“This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices,” she told the crowd, as she took the stage to accept this year’s Dr Dre Global Impact Award. “We’ve seen on this stage talented, hardworking people from different backgrounds with different points of view, and it changes the game. DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift.”
While Trump’s orders have been celebrated by some supporters, they have been criticized by advocacy groups who say they might deepen inequities and undo decades of progress made to enshrine civil rights protections for marginalized groups.
However, on Thursday (January 30), Trump baselessly tried to blame the Washington DC plane crash that killed 67 people on DEI diversity measures.
