Nelly Says Performing For President Trump Is an 'Honor'

Nelly says that it will be an "honor" for him to perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration celebration on Monday.

The rapper recently spoke with podcaster Willie D Live about his decision to perform for the upcoming president—and the backlash he received.

“If you follow what I do, this shouldn’t even be an argument,” Nelly explained. “He’s the president. He won. This isn’t a campaign—this isn’t the RNC.”

“I’m not doing this for money. I’m doing this because it’s an honor,” Nelly continued. “I respect the office. It don’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 put their lives on the line for whoever is in office. If they can put their life on the line for whoever's in office, I can damn sure perform.”

Nelly also spoke with Willie D about Trump’s past, expressing his belief that his past shouldn’t define him.

“We can talk about the past, but we can never talk about our past,” Nelly said. “If my past was what was going to prevent me from winning today, I wouldn’t be here.

“I’m not saying that he ain’t got some fucked up ways, that’s why I’m not telling you who to vote for,” the rapper continued. “What I’m saying is that he’s the president of the United States. He’s not the candidate for the United States—he’s the president. He won.”

Reports started surfacing a couple of days ago that Nelly would be performing at the Inaugural Liberty Ball on Sunday that will follow Trump's inauguration and presidential parade.

Nelly isn't the only rapper seemingly embracing Trump for his presidency. Recently, both Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross attended the first-ever Crypto Ball in Washington, D.C., which celebrated the president-elect’s upcoming inauguration.

Both rappers, who have been critical of Trump in the past, hit the stage and performed.