According to Variety, Travis Scott spoke to Colin Kaepernick before he confirmed his appearance alongside Maroon 5 and OutKast’s Big Boi at this year’s Super Bowl, but Kaepernick has hinted that the two do not agree about Scott performing.
Scott has received criticism for agreeing to perform at the Super Bowl LIII halftime show, but he has partnered with the NFL to donate $500,000 to Dream Corps, a nonprofit social justice organization. He reportedly believes the money, along with the platform that the big game provides, will make a difference, per Variety.
Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, has been out of the NFL for almost two years since he began kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest police brutality. Although Kaepernick received a lot of criticism for kneeling, many others supported him.
Scott and Kaepernick spoke on the phone before official news of his Super Bowl appearance became public. Sources told Variety that although Kaepernick did not agree with Scott’s claim that people take a stance in their own way, the two “emerged from the conversation with mutual respect and understanding.”
“I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in,” Scott said when he announced the donation. “I know being an artist that it’s in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.”
Through a series of retweets on Twitter, Kaepernick has seemingly made it clear that he did not give Scott the go-ahead to perform.
The Rev. Al Sharpton and JAY-Z tried to discourage Scott from performing, according to Variety.
“I think anyone that goes into the halftime show is in effect directly violating those that want to raise the question that the NFL should come to terms with what they have done and continue to do to Colin Kaepernick and those that protest on criminal justice issues,” Sharpton told TMZ. “You can’t fight against Jim Crow and then go sit in the back of the bus.”
