While concerned fans debate the merits of Jay-Z trying to convince Travis Scott not to perform at the upcoming 2019 Super Bowl, it appears another star needed no prompting to drop out, despite having a perfectly legitimate reason to accept an offer to perform alongside Maroon 5. Cardi reportedly rejected an offer to perform at the halftime show out of solidarity with a boycott in support of Colin Kaepernick’s ongoing fight against the NFL, according to Page Six, which wrote that a source close to the “Money” rapper “doesn’t want to do it unless they roll out the red carpet for her.”
And while it was previously reported that she was holding out for a solo performance to make it worth her while, another source reports she would only perform “when [the NFL] hires(s) Colin Kaepernick back.” Cardi was reportedly invited to participate alongside Maroon 5 for their hit “Girls Like You,” but either way, Cardi has seemingly weighed the value of the one-verse appearance. Page Six reports that a rep said, “The rumor circulating that she wants a million dollars and she wants her own set is false. There was never a firm offer to begin with for a performance. There [were] talks about it, but she was not particularly interested in participating because of how she feels about Colin Kaepernick and the whole movement… but again, there was never a solid offer for her to say yes or no to regarding the Super Bowl. She is already confirmed to do a set with Bruno Mars that weekend.” That set is scheduled for the Bud Light Super Bowl Festival taking place separately from the main event.
The former 49ers quarterback, Kaepernick, is currently embroiled in a legal dispute against NFL, claiming that the league’s teams colluded to keep him from playing on a roster after his #TakeAKnee protest stirred controversy and drew a rebuke from Donald Trump himself. Though he kneeled for the national anthem to protest police treatment of Black citizens, some have viewed his actions as disrespectful toward the armed forces. The alleged collusion has prompted a boycott of the NFL by Kaepernick’s supporters, who maintain that he should be given free reign to express himself without punishment.
Meanwhile, Houston rapper Travis Scott, who has also been tabbed to perform has come under scrutiny after a 2014 interview with Hot 97 resurfaced in which he was asked about the shooting death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, MO. At the time, he said, “I’m kind of angry; so many Black people are acting like fake activists… I’m not saying [Mike Brown] deserved to get killed. But I’m not saying that he didn’t deserve to pay for consequences he probably inflicted.”
