Janelle Monáe had some words for Nelly, and she didn’t hold back.
During a Grammys after-party at Anderson .Paak’s Los Angeles restaurant, Andy’s, Monáe joined a jam session with the live band. But when they started playing Nelly’s hit “Hot in Herre,” she took a moment to address the rapper’s controversial performance at Donald Trump’s inauguration celebration in January.
“F**k you, Nelly,” Monáe said in a clip posted by TMZ.
#JanelleMonae roasted #Nelly at a #GRAMMYs after-party in L.A. Sunday night, blasting him for recently performing at #PresidentTrump‘s inauguration 👀 Details here: https://t.co/m3Ji9QOv3y pic.twitter.com/iLcbDSP13b
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 3, 2025
She didn’t stop there, making it clear that she was disappointed in the St. Louis rapper’s decision to perform for Trump.
“I used to like Nelly … but then he performed for Donald Trump. Fk that na. I don’t give a fk … Nelly, you sold out. I used to think he was cool, but now you look like a motherfking fool … Fk you na. You get a new attitude.”
Before the inauguration celebration, Nelly defended his performance, saying it was an “honor” to be invited.
“If you follow what I do, this shouldn’t even be an argument,” he told podcaster Willie D in January. “He’s the president. He won. This isn’t a campaign—this isn’t the RNC.”
He also insisted that his decision wasn’t about money, adding, “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 do that, I can damn sure perform.”
Nelly’s decision to perform at Trump’s event has been met with mixed reactions, with some fans and fellow artists questioning why he would align himself with the former president.
