Nelly He became a trending topic on Twitter (X) on Friday night (January 17) after news broke that he would perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural Freedom Ball.
The event, which will take place on Monday (January 20), is one of three official inaugural balls scheduled to take place that night, with Nelly sharing the stage with country singer Jason Aldean and The Village People.
Nelly, known for his 2002 hit “Hot in Herre,” has previously collaborated with country artists, making him a fitting addition to the event’s lineup. His inclusion reflected the “yeehaw” atmosphere of the inauguration.
Other performers at the inauguration included Ex. American Idol contestant Carrie Underwood will sing “America the Beautiful” at the swearing-in ceremony, and Rascal Flatts and Aldean will perform at separate inaugural balls.
But, as expected, most of the hip-hop community wasn’t celebrating Nelly’s arrival.
Nelly performing at the inauguration??????????????? pic.twitter.com/vA3ioDRMMS
— Brunette Boho (@Jane_Doe82) January 17, 2025
Damn it, Nellie! Do you need money so much? EWWWWWW https://t.co/4fAb7Tis9Z
— Chest Bish (@AshleyShyMiller) January 17, 2025
Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg is being dragged for agreeing to attend a pre-inauguration event. According to The Root, the West Coast rapper will perform at the first-ever Crypto Ball hosted by David Sacks, Trump’s nominee for “Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency Czar.”
Snoopy and Trump have known each other for many years. In 2007, Trump praised Snoop’s music during an appearance on “The Apprentice.” In 2011, Snoop was all smiles when Trump appeared on the Comedy Central show. But in 2017, after the release of Lavender’s “BADBADNOTGOOD” video, in which Snoop pretended to shoot Trump in the head, Trump lashed out at Snoop and suggested his music was trash.
Fast forward to 2022, and Snoopy’s tone has completely changed. As he said at the time: “Donald Trump? He didn’t do anything wrong to me. He did great things for me,” praising Trump for pardoning Death Row Records co-founder Michael Harris -O’ Harris), who is serving time for drug-related crimes.
With temperatures in Washington, D.C., expected to hover in the mid-20s on Inauguration Day as Arctic blast sweeps the country, the inauguration ceremony has been moved to the Capitol Rotunda.
Some of the reactions to Nelly and Snoop Dogg’s performance also affected singer Chrisette Michelle, who was essentially canceled from singing at Trump’s 2016 inauguration.
family. Are we right to give Nelly the Crist treatment? Because f### him, his teeth, and his Band-Aids!
— Itty Bitty 🩷🇵🇦 (@_PetiteTing) January 17, 2025
F### you @SnoopDogg
F### you NellieTired of your footsteps and get c00nnass sold out BAMFNs‼
— TheAverageBlackMan™ (@TheAvgBlackMan) January 18, 2025
Do you all maintain the same energy? Chrisette Michele canceled for Trump inauguration — what about Snoop and Nelly? pic.twitter.com/wR3CKpnTaJ
— Hues And Culture (@HuesAndCulture) January 18, 2025
Nelly is ab#### and a raccoon! Why didn’t I peek at it for all these years? Black people, if you want this disrespect to stop, stop supporting these artists who don’t give a damn about you! Ashanti, what the hell is this about keeping your man together? https://t.co/anBAYL0AAI
— Chubbs (@Edwardboutique) January 17, 2025
Relevant
