Did four black artists agree to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration events out of a sense of non-partisan unity? Did they just decide that a paycheck is a paycheck? Or did they engage in an act of "complicity"?

Four of rap music's biggest stars joined Trump in celebrating the start of his second term, and Essence's Shelby Stewart was not entertained. The photojournalist made her displeasure clear by accusing Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Soulja Boy, and Rick Ross of selling out, both literally and figuratively:

Once a steadfast critic of Trump’s policies, Snoop’s presence on this stage left fans questioning whether financial incentives or a strategic rebranding motivated his change of heart.

Nelly, who is scheduled to performed at the Liberty Ball, attempted to deflect criticism by framing his decision as respect for the office of the presidency rather than the man occupying it. In a Youtube interview with Geto Boys’ Willie D, Nelly said, “I respect the office. This isn’t politics. Politics for me is over; [Trump] won, he’s the Commander-in-Chief.

The ‘Hot In Herre’ rapper went on to say, “I was born in a military base in Austin. My father served, my grandfather served, my uncle served, my auntie served. I’ve been entertaining the troops all over this world,” he added. “If these people can give their live for the office, Nelly can perform for it.”

Nelly’s defense, invoking his military background and his long-standing tradition of entertaining service members, attempted to divorce his art from the politics of the day. Yet, the question remains: is it truly possible to perform at such a politically charged event without being seen as tacitly endorsing the administration? Can an artist justify participating in an inauguration while maintaining the façade of political neutrality? ...

Back in 2017, Trump’s inauguration struggled to secure top-tier performers, with many artists declining as an act of defiance. Eight years later, the landscape has shifted. Whether the motivation was financial, professional, or a misguided attempt to build bridges, the participation of Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Soulja Boy, and Rick Ross signals a pivotal moment in culture.

Interestingly, these questions never get asked in the other direction. Last night, during a lull in the day's festivities, Fox News interviewed Lee Greenwood, the country star who made "God Bless the USA" into an anthem for patriotic Americans. Greenwood noted that he had performed for most presidents since Jimmy Carter, and indeed had performed for all who had attended the Inauguration yesterday, save one. (The impression left was that Greenwood had never performed for Joe Biden, but Greenwood didn't explicitly state it.) And yet, no one has accused Greenwood of "selling out" for performing for Carter, Bill Clinton, or Barack Obama/Joe Biden. 

Stewart's criticism signals a pivot, certainly, but not in the way she argues. Stewart's accusations are more professionally and rationally argued than others, however, who took Essence's suggestion of "complicity" and turned it into a "collaborate with the enemy" accusation against the rappers who appeared, and others who outright supported Trump during the campaign.

Collaborate with whom, wondered Charlamagne Tha God this morning. The man that Joe Biden and Barack Obama declared a Nazifasciststinkybottom, only to glad-hand him over the last several weeks?

Even before Monday’s inauguration, multiple rappers were under fire when their names were corrected with the incoming president. Rick Ross was seen performing at an event the night before; and fellow rappers Snoop Dogg and Nelly were involved in the festivities the day of the inauguration.

On Tuesday’s episode of The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne explained why he felt people were letting Democrats off the hook by focusing on the rappers.

“The hypocrisy that people display in regards to who they like and don’t like is mind-blowing to me,” Charlamagne said. “Like, there is no way you are more mad at rappers for performing at these inauguration events than you are at the elected officials who told us Trump was a ‘fascist,’ a ‘threat to democracy,’ a ‘danger to our country and the Constitution.’ They likened him to Hitler, but then folks like [Joe Biden] just welcomed him back in the White House. [Barack Obama] was sharing a good laugh with him at the funeral of President Carter.

“We know why the rappers did what they did. We know why they’re doing it. They got paid. What’s the politicians’ excuse for normalizing Trump?”

In fact, Charlamagne got angry in recounting how much Democrats did to demagogue Trump, only to tacitly acknowledge that they lied all along:

CTG: You ask me, all that smoke you have for the rappers, you should have for Obama, you should have for Biden and all the other elected officials that got us all riled up and scared, only to turn around and have tea with a man they likened to Hitler. [Laughs] Like literally, just was having tea with him yesterday.

I don't think that Charlamagne is quite red-pilled yet. Some of the rappers certainly seem to be, and the radical Left is panicking at the loss of cultural "defiance" from influential entertainers as a result. That's why Jess the Mess is getting dragged on social media for pointing it out, rather than having people recognize that they have been (in the famous quote from Spike Lee's Malcolm X), hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, and run amok by devious Democrat demagogues. Let's see whether the red pills expand in the days and weeks ahead.  

Update: Holy cow, man. Did Ana Navarro just imply that Snoop and Nelly are Stepin Fetchit-ing for Trump?

ANA NAVARRO: Black performers (Like Snoop Dogg) who headlined Trump inauguration events behaved like "trained seals." pic.twitter.com/i6whTo1HPO

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 21, 2025

"Trained seals"? If a conservative had said that about Beyoncé for appearing with Kamala Harris, the nuclear explosion from the media would still be ongoing.