Rapper Nelly, who’s performed the Super Bowl Halftime Show twice, spoke out on the hypocritical and ineffective nature of the outrage against the Super Bowl Halftime and National Anthem.
Outrage sparked after news of Travis Scott joining Maroon 5 to perform at this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 3 first leaked out in December, according to Variety. Scott came under intense criticism almost immediately after word of his halftime-show appearance. Jay-Z, Meek Mill, and Rev. Al Sharpton all publicly criticized him for it, sources said, reported Variety.
“I think anyone that goes into the halftime show is in effect directly violating those that want to raise the question that the NFL should come to terms with what they have done and continue to do to Colin Kaepernick and those that protest on criminal justice issues,” Sharpton told TMZ.
Meanwhile, Nelly takes a different view.
“I don’t see the big deal on people upset about who’s performing at halftime,” Nelly told TMZ. “Because what people have to understand…if you’re really against the NFL, the halftime show is not what you should be concerned about.”
“If you’re watching the NFL….if you’re supporting your team…that’s how [the owners] get paid,” he said. “They don’t get paid through the halftime show.”
Instead, artists choose to do the shows because they’re entertaining an audience that is exponentially bigger than any they’ve ever encountered. Last year, Lady Gaga’s halftime performance was credited with 117.5 million viewers, according to CBS Sports.
However, finding an artist to perform this year proved to be tricky thanks to the ongoing controversy concerning the NFL’s stance on players protesting on the field, brought about by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who hasn’t played professionally since 2016. Kaepernick gained praise and criticism for his “taking a knee” during the performance of the National Anthem prior to each game to protest against a flag he believes represents “a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
While Kaepernick has gained a following, his actions have also been criticized for being misdirected, and for politicizing the NFL, which has since been mired in controversy and dwindling ratings.
When TMZ asked Nelly if Kaepernick had a point in his criticism of Scott, Nelly responded with: “If you’re trying to make a stand against the NFL, you should probably not watch it on Sunday or you should not go to the games.”
Protesting against “the halftime show is irrelevant,” he said.
Gladys Knight, “Empress of Soul” has agreed to perform at the Super Bowl as well, taking center stage to sing the National Anthem.
Knight also commented on Kaepernick’s protest.
“I understand that Mr. Kaepernick is protesting two things, and they are police violence and injustice,” she wrote to Variety. “It is unfortunate that our National Anthem has been dragged into this debate when the distinctive senses of the National Anthem and fighting for justice should each stand alone.”
Knight also came under attack when she tweeted that she should be performing at the Super Bowl.
Atlanta, I’m coming home! #NFL #SBLIII pic.twitter.com/8rH0O5OAAo
— Gladys Knight (@MsGladysKnight) January 17, 2019
Knight continued by saying, “I am here today and on Sunday, Feb. 3 to give the Anthem back its voice, and to stand for that historic choice of words, the way it unites us when we hear it and to free it from the same prejudices and struggles I have fought long and hard for all my life, from walking back hallways, from marching with our social leaders, from using my voice for good—I have been in the forefront of this battle longer than most of those voicing their opinions to win the right to sing our country’s Anthem on a stage as large as the Super Bowl LIII.”