Cardi B turned down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl, she said, in order to “stand behind” the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who “stood up” for minorities by kneeling down during playings of the pre-game anthem.

Super Bowl half-time show won’t reflect Atlanta’s music industry Read more

The Grammy-nominated rapper said she had “mixed feelings” after declining to take the stage at Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta. She said it was a hard decision since her husband, rapper Offset, loves to watch football.

“My husband, he loves football,” said Cardi B, who is nominated for five Grammys, competing for both album and record of the year. “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.

“You have to sacrifice that. 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.”

Kaepernick helped start a wave of player protests by kneeling during the anthem to raise awareness of police brutality, racial inequality and other social issues. His efforts ignited a lasting political firestorm eagerly fed – from the other side – by President Donald Trump.

At the Super Bowl on Sunday, Maroon 5 will be joined by Big Boi of Outkast and rapper Travis Scott at halftime in the game between the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots. Gladys Knight will sing the national anthem.

Artists including Rihanna and Pink reportedly turned down offers to perform. In a recent song, Jay-Z alluded to declining to perform at the Super Bowl. The comedian Amy Schumer refused to appear in a TV ad during the game.

Last year, Cardi B said she would not take the Super Bowl stage until Kaepernick got a job. With Kaepernick still without a team, she will perform at a downtown concert on Saturday, host a party and appear in a Super Bowl commercial.

Play Video 1:18 Super Bowl LIII: LA Rams look for revenge against New England Patriots – video

Cardi B said she had heard the criticism toward her and other music artists for taking part in Super Bowl-related events, but said she believes she can perform outside the championship game without directly supporting the NFL.

Super Bowl: how the NFL's biggest game became a cultural and political battlefield Read more

“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 said. “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.”

Cardi B said she hoped the protests supporting Kaepernick could create positive change, but she was not sure if that would happen anytime soon.

“We got an arrogant president, and the racism right now has been reborn,” she said. “They feel mighty brave nowadays. When Obama was around, I just feel like they were praying on the day when his eight years was over. A lot of jealousy.

“When they see [how] the choices they made due to racism has affected the country, that’s when things are going to start changing. Right now, they don’t want to accept that their decision has affected the country.”