Nelly also spoke about his experience as a child on a military base in Texas, praising his family members who have served in the U.S. armed forces. “If these people can give [their] life for the office, Nelly can perform,” he said. “It is an honor for me to perform for the president of the United States, regardless of who is in office.”

Nelly defended his decision to perform at Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday while speaking to HuffPost’s Phillip Lewis. “He’s the president. He won. This isn’t a campaign,” he said. “This isn’t an RNC. I’m not out on the political campaign. I didn’t get none of that 1.5. You see what I’m saying?”

Nelly isn’t the only rapper to participate in Trump’s inauguration festivities. Earlier this weekend, it was widely reported that Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross and Soulja Boy performed at the president-elect’s Crypto Ball pre-inaugural soiree in Washington, D.C., at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Friday (Jan. 17).