While Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi will be the ones taking the halftime stage at the Super Bowl on Sunday night, they weren’t the only performers offered the coveted gig.
On Friday night, Cardi B told The Associated Press that she received an offer to perform in the high-profile show, but turned it down in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.
For the “Money” rapper, saying no to the show – which music icons like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake have booked before her – left her and her family with “mixed feelings.”
“My husband, he loves football,” Cardi explained, referencing her estranged love Offset. “His kids play football. It’s really hard for him. … He really wants to go to the Super Bowl, but he can’t go to the Super Bowl, because he’s got to stand for something.”
Ultimately, Cardi – like Set – decided that backing Colin and his cause was more important than landing the lucrative concert.
“You have to sacrifice that,” she added. “I got to sacrifice a lot of money to perform. But there’s a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him.”
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Colin first made headlines in the 2016 football season when he began kneeling during the pregame national anthem to shine a light on police brutality and racial injustice in the United States.
‘The outspoken quarterback has not appeared an NFL roster since that season. He’s currently embroiled in a legal battle with the league, accusing the organization of colluding to blackball him from playing due to his method of political protest.
Many celebrities have taken Colin’s side in the controversy and, like Cardi, refused to participate in Super Bowl LIII.
Back in October, news broke that Rihanna, like Cardi, had reportedly turned down the halftime show out of loyalty to the former San Francisco 49er.
“They offered it to her, but she said no because of the kneeling controversy,” a source told Us Weekly. “She doesn’t agree with the NFL’s stance.”
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Following reports of Rihanna’s decision, Amy Schumer revealed on Instagram that she’d also taken a stance against the game.
“I personally told my reps I wouldn’t do a Super Bowl commercial this year,” she told fans. “I know it must sound like a privilege a** sacrifice but it’s all i got. Hitting the nfl with the advertisers is the only way to really hurt them.”
Although Cardi turned down Sunday’s halftime show, she didn’t nix the Super Bowl entirely.
The Grammy nominee is set to perform in Atlanta – this year’s Super Bowl host city – on Saturday night. She’ll also appear in a commercial during the big game and host bowl-related parties this week.
While some fans have criticized her choice to take part in any game-related activities, the rapper stood by her decision as to where to draw the line.
“I hear people saying like, ‘Oh, y’all are saying all this stuff about the Super Bowl, but you’re doing all these parties,'” she told The AP. “And it’s like, well, if the NFL could benefit off from us, then I’m going to benefit off y’all. Y’all make the most money off our people. Why am I not going to take advantage of y’all and take money from y’all too? Because of y’all, we are getting these parties. OK, thank you.”
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