Celebrities Make Their Political Views Known at the Grammys

posted on: Feb 22, 2017

BY: Stephanie Yasi Farokhi/Contributing Writer

The 59th annual Grammy Awards on February 12 was fairly apolitical for the most part until A Tribe Called Quest took the stage. Trump’s presidency and his unsuccessful attempt at the Muslim ban has not only outraged numerous Americans, particularly Muslim Americans, but clearly has sparked a chord in celebrities like Busta Rhymes, as well.

Katy Perry was one of the few artists who also appeared to have a political message directed towards President Trump during her Grammy performance. The pop singer strolled on stage in a white pantsuit, wearing a sparkly armband that stated “Persist” in a gesture to Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren. After her performance was complete, Perry yelled “No hate!” while standing in front of an image of the U.S. Constitution. While Perry did not overtly refer to Trump or his administration during her performance, from the looks of it, she is not a fan of his policies.

The most blatant anti-Trump performance took place during the performance of A Tribe Called Quest, where Busta Rhymes said, “I want to thank President Agent Orange for your unsuccessful attempt at the Muslim ban”.

The rapper was clearly referring to Trump’s initial executive orders banning all citizens from 7 Muslim-majority countries for 90 days, all refugees for 120 days, and all Syrian refugees indefinitely.

The performance also featured a diverse group of individuals who took the stage, many of whom donned the hijab, or Muslim headscarf.

Finally, at the end of the performance, Q-Tip, a member of A Tribe Called Quest, repeatedly chanted, “Resist!” His chant reverberated a communal rallying cry of the anti-Trump movement. The performance was a message of unity and resistance, particularly when marginalized groups like Muslim Americans needed to hear it the most.

It should be appreciated that celebrities use their stardom to project their voices on social justice issues, such as Trump’s unconstitutional immigration ban. While many people continue to criticize celebrities for being too political or too liberal, they are bound to have political opinions just like everyone else. Their opinions are just like those of any other citizen or political commentator.

When celebrities like Katy Perry or Busta Rhymes take the stage and send a political message to the American people, they are expressing their solidarity to groups negatively affected by policies. Their concern for targeted groups like Muslim Americans is a way of expressing solidarity with all humans. By giving value to equality, freedom, and justice, celebrities are exhibiting their patriotism and American identities the way we are all granted by the Constitution.