Soulja Boy doesn’t agree with those criticizing rapper Travis Scott for joining in on the Super Bowl LIII halftime show festivities.
Unlike many other hip-hop artists who have been calling for Scott, 26, to pull out of the halftime show in deference to the NFL’s controversial stance on kneeling players, Soulja Boy, 28, thinks it should be about enjoying the big game.
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“I feel like everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” Soulja Boy told Entertainment Tonight on Thursday. “It’s a very tricky situation because you are involving politics with sports, which should not be mixed.”
The “Crank That” singer, who was promoting an upcoming documentary about his life and career, continued, “I feel like the NFL should be on its own and everybody should have fun.”
“It should be a positive, fun, happy thing. You know what I’m saying? And everybody enjoying the football game. It shouldn’t be about all of the controversy behind it and the politics,” he said.
But many others in the industry feel the opposite and have been quite vocal in their opinions. Rapper Meek Mill reposted an article detailing that Scott was added to the show’s lineup, writing “For what????”
For what???? //t.co/oTZ4PsDqcD
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) December 20, 2018
“He don’t need that he on fire already!” Mill wrote in a follow-up tweet. “Stay strong in this s—!”
Later, he added, “And don’t get it twisted I f— wit Travis too!”
Hip-hop veteran Jay-Z, who has been highly critical of the NFL over its treatment of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, is reportedly trying to talk Scott out of performing, reports Variety. Representatives for Scott and Jay-Z did not comment.
In a January 2018 interview with CNN, Jay-Z called Kaepernick, who was the first player to kneel in protest of inequality and police brutality during the National Anthem, an “iconic figure.”
“Look how many people play football,” Jay-Z told Van Jones. “They’re not all going to be him. Like, he just put his name next to Muhammad Ali. Would you rather be playing football getting your head dinged in, or would you rather be an iconic figure for the rest of your life? We confuse the idea of having a job with fulfilling your purpose.”
Additionally, Scott is featured in a song that mentions Kaepernick, who no longer plays for the NFL. Scott performed on Quavo’s “Huncho Jack,” which includes the line, “Take a knee like the ‘Niners (Kaepernick) / Join the team don’t divide us (join them).”
As previously reported, Maroon 5 is the unconfirmed headliner of the halftime show, although many are calling for the legendary band to also back out of the performance. A petition circulating the internet has tens of thousands of signatures asking the band to step down.
Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine skated around whether the group would be performing while appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
“It’s the Super Bowl,” Levine told the eponymous host. “It’s going to be a great event and there’s going to be a band…or an artist of some kind performing at halftime. And it’s going to be great regardless of whoever it is. Whoever is lucky enough to get that gig, probably is going to crush it.”
Super Bowl LIII will air on CBS on Sunday, Feb. 3 live from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Photo credit: Instagram / @souljaboy
