Jan. 20, 2025 marked the second inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States. President Trump’s inauguration events featured performances from various artists including, Carrie Underwood, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Rascal Flatts. 

However, a few performers in particular garnered a great deal of backlash from fans for their participation in these events. 

Black performers such as  Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Soulja Boy, and Nelly seem to be receiving the most heat from fans who have vocalized their disappointment in the stars via social media. 

Fans have had a particularly emotional reaction to Snoop Dogg’s involvement, with @mkaplan801 on Instagram commenting, “Snoop you disappointed us. We been riding with you since we were kids. This one hurts for real.”

Snoop Dogg, who has now lost half a million followers since his performance at Trump’s Crypto Ball, took to Instagram to share a video addressing the backlash. The rapper, in between hits of a blunt, said, “Y'all can't hate enough; I love too much. Get your life right, stop worrying about mine. I'm cool. I'm together — still a Black man, still 100 percent Black. All out 'til you ball out or 'til you fall out." 

This unbothered response seemed to upset fans even more, with commenters calling the rapper a “sell out” and one user claiming that they have “lost all respect”. Many fans called attention to the contradiction in the rapper’s actions, referencing Snoop’s history of voicing his distaste for President Trump. 

In 2020, the “Gin and Juice” rapper posted a video to X, calling Trump a “f****ing weirdo.”

In a 2019 video posted to his instagram, Snoop rants about his contempt for Trump and his voters stating, “So f– him too, and f– everybody down with Donald Trump. I said it.” 

In arguably his most extreme showcase of disdain for President Trump, Snoop pointed a fake gun at a clown dressed as Donald Trump in the music video for his remix of “Lavender.”

Similarly, Nelly stood firm on his decision to perform at the President's Liberty Ball celebration. 

In a Youtube livestream with rapper Willie D, the ‘Hot in Herre’ singer shared that he believes his performance was not political, stating, “This is not me telling you, ‘Yo, you should vote for this candidate.” The rapper went on to reaffirm his respect for the president, saying “But what I will say is that, I respect the office…It is an honor for me to perform for the president of the United States, regardless of who is in office.”

Many speculated that the true motivations of Nelly and other rappers that performed might have been monetary. Rapper Trick Daddy shared his thoughts on 103.5 The Beat Miami saying, “First of all, Nelly. Congratulations on that $1.5 million you got for that show. I wish they give me $1.5 million.”

Though Trick Daddy’s claim that Nelly received payment is not confirmed, Soulja Boy boasted about the pay he received from performing at the Crypto Ball. In an Instagram live, the rapper responded to the backlash in an expletive-ridden rant.

“Them ni–as they paid me a bag, ni–a…Trump put money in my pockets, ni**a… Did Kamala call my f**king phone? Did Obama call my motherf–ing phone?” said the “Crank Dat” rapper, whilst showing stacks of money to the camera. 

Sophomore Micah Pryor shared her response to the alleged payout of these artists. “I know each one of them got paid lots of money and it’s very unfortunate that money is worth more than Black lives, Black rights, women’s rights even if none of them voted for him,” she said.

Despite her disappointment, Pryor says that she’s “not shocked” by the actions of these performers. 

“I feel like the music industry has not really been on the same social justice, anti-racism wave that it’s been on maybe since the 90s or 2000s” said Pryor. “We don’t really see that kind of rallying for the Black community.”

For Pryor, these performances say something larger about gender dynamics in the Black community. “All of these men are in such positions of power and It just sort of shows that sometimes Black men just don’t really ride as hard for Black women as they say they do and it’s really unfortunate,” she added. 

Snoop Dogg, Soulja Boy, and Nelly are not the first Black artists to face backlash for their support of Trump. Trump has long been a polarizing figure within the Black community, largely due to his policies and rhetoric, which many view as anti-Black. At the 2017 inaugural ball, Chrisette Michele, at the height of her fame, chose to perform, but her career has since faded from the spotlight because of it. 

“I went from someone being revered and loved to facing putting out an album in the worst climate of my musical career,” the R&B singer shared on Instagram.

Following her performance, Michele was bashed on social media and swiftly dropped from her record label.

Like many of the Black performers from the 2025 inauguration events, Michele claims that her motivation for performing did not come from endorsement of the president. 

“I felt the collective break in the country’s heart and the hearts of millions, so I decided to sing a song I thought could heal,” said the singer in a 2023 TedTalk titled, “Cancel That!” 

Unfortunately for Michele, this did not put an end to the backlash, with the Black community still denouncing her for associating with President Trump.

For many, this choice felt like a personal betrayal, and it remains to be seen whether this year’s Black performers will experience a similar fate.
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