It was reported yesterday that Trump's inauguration on Friday will include a performance from Grammy-winning R&B singer Chrisette Michele, the woman who laid down the hook on Rick Ross and Drake's timeless "Aston Martin Music." She had reportedly been booked for the event for months, though the performance was kept under wraps out of fear of immense backlash from her fans. And she got just that upon yesterday's announcement.
Questlove even offered to pay her not to perform. Earlier this morning, Michele issued an "open letter" via Twitter on her decision to perform at the inauguration of the controversial soon-to-be president. She doesn't directly mention the inauguration, but it seems that she is still going ahead with her performance. The header of the letter reads, "We Can't Be Present If We're Silent."
"My heart is broken for our country, for the hopes of our children, for the fights of those who came before us," she wrote. "I cry at the thought that Black History, American History might be in vain."
By writing, "I don't mind These Stones, if they allow me to be a voice for the voiceless," she implies that, by appearing at the inauguration, she is representing those who don't feel represented by a Trump presidency. She believes this effort of hers is worth the inevitable backlash.
Michele then quotes Martin Luther King Jr. Her use of the quote suggests that the absence of a black performer at the inauguration would be equivalent to the black community being "silent about what matters." She ends the letter by writing, "I am here, representing you, because this is what matters."