KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho (KMOX) - St. Louis icon and award-winning rapper Nelly isn't getting a warm welcome from some in an Idaho community where he's set to perform next month. According to reports, organizers of the North Idaho State Fair have received "threatening and hateful" phone calls over the artist's invitation.
Nelly is set to perform in front of a sold-out audience at the fair on Aug. 23. An article titled "Whoa Nelly" posted on the Christian conservative blog Redoubt News says the artist is "a vile representation of what is currently wrong with America." The writer, Duane Rasmussen, is hoping for a boycott of the concert.
The piece lists some of his song lyrics, stories about prior arrests and charges for drugs and sexual assault and says the fair organizers are sacrificing morals to make money off out-of-state visitors.
"According to one scalper tickets may be resold for as much as, or more than $300," the post states. "Collecting money through ticket sales to people who live in CHAZ and CHOP might just help us get past the financial difficulties of the last year but is that what we are willing to sell our cultural souls for?"
Related
Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) and Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) were unpoliced areas of Black Lives Matter protesters in Seattle last summer.
A pastor who will be leading church service at the fair says the concert is a "wake-up call" for the community.
"I learned that Nelly has performed music of an extremely explicit nature and that he himself has been far less than the role model most would want for their children or community," said the pastor at Candlelight Christian Fellowship Church, according to CDAPress.
Another prominent community member supported the article, saying “We are serious, responsible citizens with moral character who recognize filth and the increasing depravity of our youth stimulated when we see it. Nelly is no Elvis Presley.”
The fair's general manager says most of the feedback about Nelly has been positive but understands he "may not be everyone’s cup of tea."
In June, more than 3,200 tickets were sold specifically for the Nelly concert, according to KPVI. He's also set to perform at the Western Idaho State Fair on Aug. 24 in Boise.
Related
© 2021 KMOX (Audacy). All rights reserved
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Follow KMOX
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram