Child Rock is utilizing the phrases of late NBA legend Kobe Bryant to push again in opposition to criticism of his upcoming efficiency on this weekend’s MAGA-themed various to the Tremendous Bowl halftime present.
The “Cowboy” singer shared a quote attributed to Bryant on his social media platforms Thursday as discourse surrounding his involvement within the “All-American Halftime Present” started heating up on-line.
“Be taught to like the hate,” the quote reads. “Embrace it. Take pleasure in it. You earned it. Everyone seems to be entitled to their very own opinion and everybody ought to have one about you.”
It continues: “Haters are an excellent downside to have. No one hates the nice ones. They hate the good ones.”
Turning Level USA, the right-wing political group based by slain activist Charlie Kirk, introduced the lineup for its present on Monday. Along with Child Rock, the roster consists of nation singers Brantley Gilbert and Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett, who got here in third on Season 16 of “American Idol.”
Plans for the occasion started shaping up in October of final yr, amid conservative backlash to the NFL’s choice of Latin pop celebrity Dangerous Bunny because the official headliner for the Tremendous Bowl halftime present, set to happen this Sunday in Santa Clara, California.
A Puerto Rican native, Dangerous Bunny sings predominately in Spanish and has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants, as evidenced by his headline-making speech eventually weekend’s Grammy Awards.
In a press release, Child Rock stated he and different “All-American Halftime Present” performers have been “approaching this present like David and Goliath” earlier than taking direct intention at Dangerous Bunny, who has been identified to embrace gender-fluid style.
“He’s stated he’s having a dance get together, sporting a costume, and singing in Spanish? Cool,” he stated, per Selection. “We plan to play nice songs for people who love America.”
As Child Rock has amped up his criticism of Dangerous Bunny and the NFL, his tune “Cool, Daddy Cool” started making the rounds on-line. The observe, which appeared on the soundtrack of the 2001 movie “Osmosis Jones,” incorporates the lyrics: “Younger women, younger women, I like ’em underage … See some say that’s statutory/However I say it’s obligatory.”
“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin alluded to Child Rock’s incendiary lyrics in a Friday phase by which she and different hosts defended Dangerous Bunny.
“So, if that’s extra American, go for it,” Hostin stated, earlier than co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin deemed Child Rock “a really common artist who has largely sort of gone previous his prime.”
One one that doesn’t seem vexed by the brouhaha, nonetheless, is Dangerous Bunny himself. In a Thursday press convention, the musician stated viewers will “solely have to fret about dancing” when he takes the stage throughout the large recreation Sunday.
“They don’t even need to study Spanish. Higher they study to bounce,” he stated. “There is no such thing as a higher dance than the one which comes from the guts.”
