Political commentator and activist Keith Boykin voiced his criticism of Black entertainers who choose to perform at events associated with former President Donald Trump.
On Jan. 17, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, and Soulja Boy performed at the Crypto Ball in Washington, D.C., in celebration of Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20. Yesterday, Nelly performed at Trump’s Liberty Inaugural Ball.
Speaking on CNN, Boykin expressed that performing for someone like Trump, who he says has a long history of actions and rhetoric harmful to Black Americans, is a betrayal to the Black community.
Boykin laid out a damning timeline of Trump’s record, from housing discrimination in the 1970s to his calls for the execution of the Central Park Five in the 1980s, his refusal to feature Black workers prominently in his Atlantic City casinos in the 1990s, and his role in perpetuating the birther conspiracy against Barack Obama in the 2000s.
Boykin also highlighted Trump’s attacks on Black public figures and election workers, including Colin Kaepernick, Ruby Freeman, and ArShaye ‘Shaye’ Moss, as well as recent inflammatory comments about Haitian immigrants.
Yo, Keith Boykin is out here standing on business with everything he’s saying. pic.twitter.com/Qj9PcYbLKg
— The Chanteezy Is Real ♉️💛🪷 (@iamchanteezy) January 19, 2025
“You dishonor those people when you go and perform for this man,” Boykin shared. “This is not somebody that Black people should be associated with and pretending to normalize.”
Boykin’s comments reflect a growing debate within the Black community about how artists and public figures should engage with politically polarizing figures like Trump. While some argue that art and entertainment can serve as a bridge for dialogue, others, like Boykin, see such performances as normalizing behavior and policies that undermine progress for marginalized groups.
Boykin believes that some entertainers fail to grasp the political and social implications of their actions. “A lot of these rappers are not the intellectuals in the community,” he said.
“We should be challenging him,” Boykin says about Trump’s divisive rhetoric and policies.
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