Not performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration wasn’t an option for singer Chrisette Michele who says she “didn’t even think to say no.”
The R&B chanteuse provided some insight into her controversial and highly-criticized decision to perform at Trump’s inaugural ball, during a newly-released interview with Billboard.
Michele again explained that she felt a responsibility to represent for both people of color and women, as a performer.
“I didn’t even think to say no,” Chrisette Michele said. “It didn’t cross my mind. The first thing I thought was that I have an opportunity to get in front of these people who don’t seem to understand who they’re talking to and show them what we look like. I felt automatically committed to making sure that I stood up for the women who’ve felt disrespected and the minorities who felt disrespected, communities that felt that they weren’t being heard or understood. I thought that it was almost my responsibility to not just say yes but to say yes with purpose, so that was my reasoning. And no, I didn’t think twice about it.”
The singer also clarified rumors that she was given $750,000 to perform are not true. She went on to offer a vague response in regards to how much she did in fact receive, and added that it wasn’t “a money thing.”
“We sent in an offer for how much we charge and they said, ‘Well we don’t have that,’ and the first thing I thought then was how I sang for Barack Obama and Michelle Obama free of charge. This is not a money thing,” she said. “I didn’t perform for free. One, it wasn’t $750,000, but my manager did negotiate my contract.”
https://youtu.be/mQxSee-IRvg
Following her inauguration performance, Michele hit the pavement running, taking part in several interviews and even appearing on The Breakfast Club.
During her interview with the New York City-based trio, she revealed that Trump was “too busy” to meet her and explained taking advantage of her platform by wearing a skirt featuring art by Jean-Michel Basquiat. She also discussed her new record, “No Political Genius.”
On the record, which was released at the top of this week, she chants “White House invites me, you can call me their coon / I am the butterfly growing from history’s cocoon.”
She also calls Spike Lee a “Crook from Crooklyn” for not playing her “Black Girl Magic” song on his Netflix series.
Audio for Chrisette Michele’s “No Political Genius,” is below.
When you perform for someone who half the world hates for their arrogance, and then they’re “too busy to meet you”….well then.
Neither Hillary nor Trump were the best candidates for the White House. However, the media and ignorance make people hate him
“However, the media and ignorance make people hate him”………yeah sure. I guess it has nothing to do with his behaviour or policies??
Fuck this stupid Uncle Tom ass bitch. Putting on a show for her Mastahh like a good nigga. This piece of shit trash needs to be beaten on sight for being a traitor.
You sound stupid as shit. Rappers, black actors, comedians perform in late night shows with majority white and you don’t here anything
Nah ‘house nigga” you’re the one who sounds stupid as shit. Performing in front of some random white people is not the same as performing for this racist scumbag Donald Trump, who happens to be PRESIDENT now, not some random white person. You fuckin dumbass, lmao. How was that supposed to be a comparison, you fuckin clown.
To quote Jay-Z, ” fuck perception, go with what make sense.”
“To quote Jay-Z, ” fuck perception, go with what make sense.”……………….*crickets*
Yeah bro, da fuck are you talking about comparing performing on a late night show vs performing for the president donald trump at his inauguration? That’s just plain stupid bro.
To quote Jay-Z, ” fuck perception, go with what make sense
While I don’t really agree with the original comment, yours makes no sense at all.
First off it’s *hear* not “here”. It’s Ironic how you called someone else stupid with that nonsensical comment too.
some bitches are hoes but bitch you’re a nigga
Everybody needs to boycott this c.unt. See if selling her dignity was worth it then.
Did you ever buy her music? No you didn’t, so what a boycott mean?
As much as I question her decision.its a free country. he’s the president whether u like it or not.you can’t boycott a president.
Presidents can be overthrown.
So wait i hear what everyone is saying but we don’t know her financial situation. For all we know she only had $100 to her name, house to be foreclosed, bills up her ass but Trump ppl say here is a $750k and perform on inauguration day. You mean to tell me if you were in serious financial distress all of you guys would turn down $750k pay day regardless if its for Trump. OK yall can front all you want
Then that means her integrity was bought for 750k. Nothing wrong with that but admit it instead of this “I didn’t it so we can have a voice BS” only voice she heard was the bill collector’s …..
Cosign
Good for her. Much respect. No need to explain herself to the petty imbeciles.
Anyone on here commenting in a negative way because of her decision can’t possibly work for any major corporation in the U.S.
If you do 9 times out of 10 the hierarchies of that company are bigots too.
Let her live if you haven’t walked in her shoes.
She sang a fucking song. Get over it. So many hypocrites throwing stones like they wouldn’t do anything for that much money. I hope she invests the money wisely.
like a concentration camp or anti-abortion propaganda
And what did Obama actually do for black people? They are still shooting each other in Chicago daily at an alarming rate. Absolutely nothing was done. Maybe some people should’ve boycotted all of his events until something was done about that…
When u think about it all Obama did was give out free phones. That they track your calls on. And gave out 250 dollars that ppl spent on Jordan’s. Murders in his home town of Chicago went up every year he was in office. I’m black and I really believe Obama was to soft while he was in office.
Obama killed brown people on the daily basis. Just in 2016 on his orders, 27 thousand bombs were dropped on countries like Syria, Iraq, Libya etc..all in the name of “protecting the western world from big bad terrorists”
So she lost some fans that didn’t buy her music anyway. Maybe the new fans she got while performing will.
Instead of singing at Dump’s Inauguration, which he did not even have time for her, she should have been at the Women’s March, maybe she would have gotten some respect then, standing with the A Listers, (Beyonce, Solange, Madonna, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson, Cher, Alicia Keys, Katy Perry, Emma Watson, Amy Schumer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Gloria Steinem, Helen Mirren, Cynthia Nixon and Whoopi Goldberg, Chelsea Handler, Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Miley Cyrus, Jamie Lee Curtis, Demi Lovato and Jane Fonda).
Black people can’t stand it when another black person does something for Trump.
Black people do not like it when they are being used by Dump! Let’s get it straight!
C00n Chrisette is not a revolutionist, she’s a “Wanna Be” A Lister, but always end up in the “F Lister Class). There are no more Civil Rights Activist and there has not been since Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated and there never will be. You have not heard a word from Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson, so what makes c00n Chrisette think she can do anything, to help the cause of black citizens. What did she accomplish! Dump did not even give her the time of day to even be in the building when she called her self performing. Bet she felt real stupid! And to call Spike Lee a “Crook”, a man who has stood for nothing but empowering and enlightening the cause of black citizens. SHE SHOULD SEND OUT A FORMAL APOLOGY TO HIM! Good for you Spike Lee. DUMP THAT LOOSER C00N Chrisette. I love that movie Crooklyn!. Keep doing you!
Cory Booker for President in 2020