Fans are not letting the rappers who performed for President Trump at his inauguration hear the end of it. Artists such as Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, and Soulja Boy have faced a barrage of criticism from the internet, but Stephen A. Smith is here to defend them.
On Monday, during an episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” the “First Take” host went on a major rant, attacking anyone who has said something negative about the rappers who accepted an invite to perform for Trump at his inauguration.
“Soulja Boy ain’t got no right to go make some money?” he asked. “… Snoop Dogg worth over $100 million. He got a youth football league. This brother sending cats to college, he sending cats to the NFL, we just gon’ ignore that? Because he performed at the inauguration?”
Smith also called out those who “turned against” Ice Cube leading up to the 2020 presidential election. At the time, the NWA legend shared that he spoke with Trump about his “Platinum Plan” for Black citizens. He said that criticism against the rapper/filmmaker was “unforgiveable.”
Smith continued, “Now that the brothers come along and they make something of themselves and they got opportunities that they’re willing to exploit and they choose to be apolitical, you wanna get in their ass?!”
Watch below:
This isn’t the first time Smith has gone against the Black community in defense of Trump or people associated with him.
In April, Smith went on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show to discuss the upcoming presidential election, and criticized Democrats for politicizing his criminal trial.
He also agreed with Trump’s claim that he finds Black people relatable because of his legal troubles, saying on Hannity’s show, “He wasn’t lying.”
Black Twitter was quick to call out Smith for his comments on “Hannity.” But instead of apologizing remorsefully, he went on the defensive, saying that his words were taken out of context. This led to further criticism from people in the Black community.