Ashanti is not speaking out about her husband, Nelly, making the shocking decision to perform at Donald Trump‘s inauguration.
However, Nelly’s close friend and long-time collaborator, Kelly Rowland, is using her voice to speak up against him.
In a blistering statement released by her lawyer, Kelly Rowland was blunt and brutal about her position on Nelly’s usage of their hit song “Dilemma” at the political event.
Beyoncé‘s former bandmate said her attorney was on standby during the show to take Nelly down if he crossed the line legally.
A source told The Daily Mail: “Kelly has blocked Nelly from performing Dilemma at the inauguration to stand in solidarity with her presidential choice, Kamala Harris. She had no knowledge of Nelly’s decision to perform, and that her team will issue a take down notice if he defies her.”
The insider explained that the Destiny’s Child singer was shocked by the rapper’s announcement to participate in the event.
The person familiar with the decision stated: “She was stunned when she learned that Nelly was to perform and informed his camp that he does not have her consent to perform the song. Her team is absolutely prepared to issue a takedown notice if he defies her order.”
The backlash has been heavy on Nelly and his wife, Ashanti. The R&B diva and songwriter lost one of her biggest fan clubs, @ashantinews, which has more than 100,000 followers and has supported her for two decades. It shut down. The news of Nelly’s performance at the inauguration left her fans in disbelief and shock.
The fan page issued a heavy-handed statement saying they could not endorse/promote her and her husband’s political views.
Nelly has tried to scream and yell and used some foul country grammar in an interview to defend his performance.
The rapper said: “I thought you were riding with me because I put on for my city and I try to bring my city up every step of the way. I did not know you were riding with me because you thought I would ride with who you voted for. I didn’t know that. I didn’t know I had to agree with your political choices, and I thought it was the things that you do not the things that you say should be done. If you follow what I do, this shouldn’t even be an argument. He’s the president. He won. This isn’t a campaign; this isn’t an RNC. I’m not out on a political campaign.”
He added: “I’m not doing this for money; I’m doing this because it’s an honor. I respect the office. It doesn’t matter who is in office. The same way that our men and women, our brothers and sisters who protect this country, have to go to war and have to put their life on the line for whoever is in office. So if they can put their life on the line for whoever is in office, I can damn sure perform.”
Nelly, who performed for Trump on MLK day, continued: “More than half this country voted for Trump. If you respect the process when the process works in your favor, respect the process when it doesn’t work in your favor.”
However, many of his fans are deeply disappointed and are not buying his justifications.
