Amid Backlash, Gospel Star Travis Greene Says He Would Perform At Donald Trump Inauguration Even If It Was For Free
Seemingly, Donald Trump cannot have certain allies. Steve Harvey received a great deal of backlash for meeting with Trump, and he is losing a portion of his fanbase as a result. The meeting was for the purpose of discussing strategies with Trump and HUD Secretary Ben Carson to increase the socioeconomic status and overall morale within the inner-city urban community. While this was assembled by President Obama and President-Elect Trump, the fact that he even was near Trump caused an uproar in the urban community.
Just recently, Grammy Award-winning Broadway music star Jennifer Holliday accepted an opportunity to sing at the inauguration, which occurs on Friday, January 20. Somehow, this also became a grave issue for both the black and LGBT community. According to The Daily Beast, Holliday pulled out of the performance due to responding to the disapproval from the LGBT community, stating that it was a “lapse of judgment,” and she will stand with the community instead.
Holliday explained to The View how she was shocked and fearful of what she received through social media.
“I woke up, and there was like this whole thing of terrible tweets, and things on my Instagram. I was like, oh Lord, what did I do? I couldn’t even think about what I [did]… You’re not on the radio, and then one moment, everybody hates you. I’m like, what could I have possibly done to have these kind of things thrown at me?”
When asked why she even considered singing at the inauguration, she proudly stated, “because I’m an artist, and I love America.”
There is yet another artist who is receiving backlash for accepting the invitation to sing at the inauguration. Two-time Grammy Award nominee Travis Greene is the latest recipient of fiery darts as the urban community is also speaking out against him performing on Friday. Greene, 33, will be singing his Billboard No. 1 hit song, “Intentional,” but it looks to come with a cost.
In an interview with TMZ, Greene expressed that he has no reservations of singing at the inauguration.
“I asked myself three questions when I was first given this invitation, and I prayed real hard about it. I asked, Would I do it for free? The answer was yes. Would I do it if no one would watch? And the answer is yes. The last question, What would Jesus do? And I believe He would go. That’s what I’m doing, man. I’m just taking His love.”
Greene did admit that his agents and management told him that it has “been pretty noisy” on social media about his decision, but he is in the clear about it. He also shared that the administration wanted to open the event with a “faith-filled moment,” so after reaching out to his spiritual advisers, it was an overwhelming affirmation for him to accept the offer.
#TravisGreene (@TravisGreeneTV) to perform at Donald Trump's Inaugural Ball -… https://t.co/E3HVQUTDZr pic.twitter.com/HifoHETFo4
— uGospel.com (@uGospel) January 16, 2017
Greene has received a swarm of backlash on social media, with comments such as, “Travis Greene said he prayed and Jesus told him to do it… y’all gotta stop letting this white man control y’all,” and “I wish I could return his CD I purchased from iTunes and take back a few votes I cast for him in a couple of ballots (Yeah I’m petty),” “[He] just made a deal with the devil and is thanking God for it!” as well as, “Idiot. Yeshua never asked anybody to deny their roots. Slave mentality people.”
Interestingly, on the heels of celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who spoke for racial equality by way of inclusion and not separation, this sends a very negative message of prioritizing being so vocal as a community for the sake of removing multiple artists from accepting an opportunity to perform. Specifically, for the Gospel community, it speaks against the very objective to “let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who in heaven.”
[Featured Image By Jordan Strauss/AP Images]
