In a few hours, Donald Trump is set to take oath as the 47th President of the United States. The preparations for the inauguration event are in full swing, with several A-listers set to perform.
Amid this, rapper Nelly has defended his decision to play at the ceremony.
Nelly on playing at Trump's inauguration: 'I respect the office.'
The Just A Dream hitmaker is among several A-listers who are set to perform at Trump’s second inauguration at the US Capitol on Monday. Since the line-up was made public, the singer has faced a massive backlash over how he said yes to perform at an event celebrating Trump's presidency.
Amid all this, the crooner has defended his decision saying that he's doing this because it's an honour to perform at the ceremony.
In a new interview with Geto Boys’ Willie D, Nelly, the rapper said, ''I didn’t know that I had to agree with your political choices. If you follow what I do, this shouldn’t even be an argument. He is the president. He won.''
The rapper, 50, will perform at the Liberty Inaugural Ball, one of three inaugural balls of the evening's celebrations.
He continued: ''I’m not doing this for money. I’m doing this because it’s an honour. I respect the office. It don't matter who is in office. The same way our brothers and sisters go to war to put their lives on the line for whoever is in office. So, if they can put their life on the line for whoever is in office, I can damn sure perform for whoever is in office.''
"This isn't politics. The politics, for me, it's 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."
The artist continued: "It is an honour for me to perform for the president of the United States, regardless of who is in office."
"If President Biden would have asked me to perform, I would have performed. If Vice President Kamala Harris would have won and asked me to perform, I would have performed."
On the backlash, the three-time Grammy-winner said, "I've been getting backlash my whole career. That don't bother me."
Apart from Nelly, Carrie Underwood has also faced significant backlash for agreeing to perform at Trump's inauguration party.
The singer will sing "America the Beautiful".
“I love our country and am honoured to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event,” Underwood said in a statement.