By Victoria Franco
Staff Writer
In the wise words of Rev. Al Sharpton, “You can’t fight against Jim Crow and then go sit in the back of the bus.”
The real question here is: why? Who cares about backlash when you’re doing something you believe in?
In the case of rapper Travis Scott, he’s merely doing what he does best.
This past Sunday, viewers watched Travis Scott perform at the 2019 Super Bowl in front of over 70,000 attendees.
In protest of the National Football League blacklisting former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, artists such as Cardi B and Nicki Minaj declined offers to play at the Super Bowl.
With that in mind, Scott’s agreement to perform at halftime was a polarizing shock to many of his fans.
However, the major controversy surrounding Scott is that he seems like a traitor who is trying to stand with Kaepernick, but at the same time, he did agree to perform for the league that ousted him in the first place.
In the time leading up to the Super Bowl, Scott made it apparent to the media that he needed to do damage control prior to his performance.
According to Rolling Stone, Scott stated that he was going to begin getting involved with progressive politics in 2019.
During an interview with Variety last month, Scott announced that he would be donating $500,000 in a partnership with the NFL to the nonprofit organization Dream Corps.
It is understandable and admirable for Scott to take his earnings from previous performances and devote some of that money toward an organization that combats inner-city poverty.
Yet despite Scott’s clearly progressive agenda, fans and critics were outraged because Scott sided with the NFL in regards to the halftime performance.
Kaepernick’s girlfriend, Nessa Deny, took it upon herself to respond to a tweet posted by Complex Magazine.
The tweet stated that Colin Kaepernick and Travis Scott had spoken about the halftime performance and both emerged from the conversation with mutual respect and understanding.
Deny quote tweeted the magazine and said, “There is NO mutual respect and there is NO understanding for anyone working against @Kaepernick7 PERIOD. #stoplying.”
No matter what, Scott still proved that when it comes to the NFL and athlete activism, he is going to take the route that gives him the opportunity to perform.
In doing so, Scott showed the world that he was willing to compromise his supposed loyalty to Kaepernick for a chance to perform at what is arguably one of the most anticipated musical performances of the year.
You can’t side with the NFL and then claim that you stand in solidarity with Kaepernick when you are taking both sides of the issue.
In the hours following his halftime performance alongside pop band Maroon 5, both Scott and the band were the targets of slander and ridicule for their lackluster performance on sites such as Twitter, Complex and Vulture.
Since then, Travis has conveyed a rather apologetic tone to his fans on his social media platforms for both the subpar musical ensemble and for not boycotting the NFL.
But Scott, who the hell do you owe an explanation to?
It’s not as if an NFL boycott would radically alter the situation.
If Scott wants to perform at the Super Bowl simply because he has a desire to, then he needs to stand with that option only.
It does no one any good for Scott to alternate between being for and against the NFL.
Scott has no right to stand with Kaepernick behind closed doors only to turn around and perform for the NFL for his own commercial gain.
It’s counterintuitive to claim to support Kaepernick while still partnering with the organization responsible for his career’s downfall.
And while it may seem counterintuitive, Scott would have been better off performing while wearing a Kaepernick jersey or a shirt that read, “I stand with Kaepernick,” to portray how he can’t make up his own mind on the matter.
It is time for Scott to pick the course of action that is in his best interest.
It is always better to do what makes you feel better about yourself as a person instead of being uncertain during divisive times.
If this is Travis Scott’s attempt to involve himself into political movements, I suggest he stick solely to being an artist.
Stay in your lane, Scott.
