Travis Scott has been under a lot of heat lately for booking his Super Bowl performance alongside Maroon 5 and former Outkast member, Big Boi.
Super Bowl LIII will take place on Feb. 20 between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams.
Many of the negative responses towards Travis Scott’s performance deal are coming from people who are saying that by performing, he is supporting the NFL, a corporation known for blackballing Colin Kaepernick for his on-field political protests.
In 2016, Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the National anthem; instead of standing, which is customary.
He explained his position by saying that he was “not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
Kaepernick’s protest started in response to the epidemic of black men and men of colour being targeted and killed by police and vigilantes exceedingly more than any other race. His protest works in correspondence with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Several artists, including Cardi B, Rihanna and Jay-Z had reportedly turned down their offer to perform, before Travis Scott was asked, because they could not stand behind the NFL.
And just for the record, Beyoncé performed in the 2016 Super Bowl, the same year that Kaepernick started his protest, but she never received any calls to back out.
A petition was started online, saying that Travis Scott should back out of the event in an act of solidarity with Kaepernick. The petitions description says “Kaepernick risked his career to take a knee for equality, and the NFL punished him for it. Until the league changes their policy and support players’ constitutional right to protest, no artists should agree to work with the NFL.”
While people were taking to Twitter and other social medias to express their contempt with Scott’s decision to perform, it was released that he had agreed to perform under one stipulation; that the NFL make a joint donation alongside him to Dream Corps, a organization fighting for social justice.
In an interview, he said that “I know being an artist that it’s in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl Halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.”
Travis Scott’s negotiations with the NFL prove to his haters that he actually does stand for the same values that many of his listeners do.
He may not have backed out of performing, but he has influenced the NFL to donate to a social justice organization. And after their blackballing efforts against Kaepernick, I would consider this a win for activists.
And just for the record, Travis Scott’s job isn’t to be an activist; he’s a rapper. Expecting him to boycott the NFL in an act of protest would have been wishful thinking.
To be honest, I don’t know if it was ever worth being mad at Travis Scott. If we’re going to get mad at him, we should keep that same energy with every other black man currently playing or working for the NFL, or every fan who decides to turn on their TV and watch the game — and his performance.
And just for the record, Beyoncé performed in the 2016 Super Bowl, the same year that Kaepernick started his protest, but she never received any calls to back out.
Travis Scott, or any artist for that matter, isn’t a villain for accepting the performance offer. The people that are proliferating racism, and backing the NFL’s discriminatory actions are the ones who should be getting the most flack; not Travis Scott who is literally just doing his job (and then some).
