Nelly defended his decision to perform at the inauguration ball for Donald Trump amid widespread backlash.
In a YouTube video, the Grammy winner spoke with fellow rapper Willie D about his set appearance at Monday's festivities.
"I'm not political. I'm not out here trying to tell anybody who they should vote for," Nelly said during their conversation. "This is not a campaign trail. This is not me telling you, 'Yo, you should vote for this candidate.' I think you should do your homework and figure out what best helps you and the people who you love and you provide for because I'm clueless on a lot of things when it gets down to it."
But, Nelly added, he does "respect the office."
"This isn't politics. The politics, for me, is over. He won! He's the president. He's the commander in chief of what I would like to say is the best country in the world," he said.
Nelly also spoke about his experience of being born on a military base in Austin, Texas. He explained that multiple family members have served in the U.S. military.
"What does the military have to do with the inauguration?" Willie D eventually asked.
"If these people can give [their] life for the office, Nelly can perform," he replied. "It is an honor for me to perform for the president of the United States, regardless of who is in office."
Nelly stated that he would have agreed to perform for President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris as well if he were asked. He then addressed the backlash from fans criticizing his decision, noting that it should not define his career. Instead, he said, it should be defined by his charitable actions throughout the years.
"I didn't know that you was riding with me because you thought I would ride for who you voted for. I didn't know that I had to agree with your political choices," Nelly told fans. "If you follow what I do, this shouldn't even be an argument."
He continued, "He's the president. He won. This isn't a campaign, this isn't [the] RNC… I’m not doing this for money. I’m doing this 'cause it’s an honor. I respect the office. It don’t matter who is in office."
Nelly added, "Performing for somebody and voting for somebody is two different things."
Back in a 2017 interview with Page Six, Nelly made headlines when he said he didn't approve of Trump during his first term.
"You know the thing about Donald Trump is that I liked Donald Trump, I did, I just don’t like Donald Trump as my president," he said at the time.
"He doesn’t surprise me as a person, he surprises me as a president because you don’t expect certain things, certain attitudes,” he added.