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On Sunday night, February 2, during the Grammys after-party in Los Angeles, singer-actress Janelle Monae made fun of her fellow rapper, Nelly. During an unplanned rap session with Anderson .Paak, she criticized Nelly for his recent performance at President Trump's inauguration.
According to TMZ’s February 3 report, at the event, Monáe played a medley of songs with a band. Among the mix of tracks, she started rapping solo over a band performing a cover of Nelly's hit song, Hot in Herre.
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However, rather than rapping the song's original lyrics, Monáe, who has long opposed Trump and his views, interpolated the song to criticize the Country Grammar musician for his appearance at Trump's Liberty Ball. After that, she freestyled over the Hot in Herre beat and sang:
“I used to like Nelly … but then he performed for Donald Trump. F*ck that ni*ga. I don’t give a f*ck. Nelly, you sold out. I used to think he was cool, but now you look like a motherf*cker fool … F*ck you, ni*ga. Get a new attitude.”
Meanwhile, once the video went viral, it was uploaded on Instagram on February 3 by the neighborhood talk. Later, netizens took to the comment section of the post to react to the same.
One said that it might give rise to Ashanti and Janelle beef, as Nelly is Ashanti’s partner and since Janelle dissed him, his partner might go after the rapper.
Additionally, others here supported Janelle Monae as one said she was real while another one said that he was wrong.
However, many criticized Monae as one said she was just mad at the performance, while another one said that no one reportedly knew her in the crowd.
Nelly defended his performance at Trump’s inauguration prior to Janelle Monae’s roast
Rapper Nelly's performance at President Donald Trump's inauguration has continued to draw criticism. This time, award-winning singer and actress Janelle Monáe did the same.
After attending the Grammys at Crypto.com Arena, the vocalist went onstage together with Anderson. In front of a large crowd, Janelle Monae began rapping alone, altering the lyrics to Hot in Herre, and criticizing Nelly for his performance at the Trump inauguration event on January 20, 2025.
On the other hand, Nelly's acceptance of the offer to play at the Liberty Inaugural Ball further sparked a lot of criticism.
Throughout the concert, Nelly was introduced by a narrator, outlining his past and stating,
“Only in America can you go from the streets of St. Louis to the White House.”
Nelly further addressed the inauguration issue with NewsNation on January 21 and responded to criticism by stating that it had nothing to do with politics or swaying public opinion.
Rather, he saw the invitation as a privilege and an opportunity to commemorate what he refers to as the world's finest nation. He further said:
“This is not a campaign trail. This is not anything that I feel like I’m influencing people to sway how they feel, but it’s more about the respect and the honor of being invited for what I like to call the greatest country on the planet.”
He also defended his decision to perform for Trump in an interview with Willie D Live on January 19, 2025. During the same, he said:
"We tend to sometimes make a quick… response to something that on the surface may seem it's effed up because we don't agree on something else… This isn't politics. The politics, for me it's over. He won... He's the commander-in-chief of what I would like to say is the best country in the world.”
Nelly was one of the numerous rappers who were criticized for their participation in Trump's inauguration celebrations, along with Snoop Dogg, Soulja Boy, and Rick Ross.
