Rapper Nelly Will Ride With Trump at Inaugural Ball

Rapper Nelly of “Hot In Herre” fame will be among the performers leading the celebration of Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday night.

CBS reporter Taurean Small was one of several reporters to break the news Friday that Nelly will be joining Jason Aldean to perform at Trump’s Liberty Ball after he is sworn in as president for the second time on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

So far, at least, Nelly is the only rapper set to make an appearance, and will join a longer-than-usual list of well-known musicians performing in support of Trump—many of them country music stars. In addition to Aldean, the previously apolitical singer Carrie Underwood will perform at the Liberty Ball as well. Rascal Flatts is set to play at separate inaugural ball in D.C.

Of course, Nelly is no stranger to country music, appearing on successful collaborations and crossovers with country figures like Tim McGraw and Florida Georgia Line. His 2021 album Heartland was largely country-influenced, and the rapper has even referred to himself as a “country music artist.”

But MAGA nation is new territory for Nelly, who hasn’t been particularly vocal about his views about Trump one way or another in recent years. In 2017, he told Page Six, “You know the thing about Donald Trump is that I liked Donald Trump, I did, I just don’t like Donald Trump as my president.”

He explained at the time, “[Trump] doesn’t surprise me as a person, he surprises me as a president because you don’t expect certain things, certain attitudes.”

While he didn’t elaborate on why else he wasn’t a fan of Trump “as president,” his conviction was strong enough that “I can’t stay at his hotels now,” he told the site. “I’ve been staying there for 15 years, and now you pull this?” He then added, “Get it together, homie.” Nelly continued to be mostly mum on the subject, but did notably allow his song “Hot In Herre” to be used to troll Trump at the DNC.

While some fans have expressed surprise on social media, others think it fits the rapper’s MO. Wrote one person on X, “This has been Nelly’s crowd,” noting that the rapper courts fans “the demographic of Trump supporters.”

Others on social media and beyond, like Community actress Yvette Nicole Brown, criticized the rapper for “co-signing” Trump. “I don’t make any space for racism or white supremacy,” Brown told TMZ Friday. “You can see this man, you can see who this man is.”