Sexyy Red lives up to her campaign promises in concert

Attempting to parse Kodak’s speech for political meaning is beside the point. Unlike a number of other Trump-loving rappers, Kodak actually has a personal reason for supporting the GOP candidate — the former president commuted the remainder of Black’s 46 month sentence on federal weapons charges in the final days of his term. You could charitably label Kodak’s cosign as savvy or politically expedient, pointing to his 2016 endorsement for Hillary Clinton from prison as proof his current allegiances don’t paint the full picture, but it’s hard to spin a line like “I’m a motherfuckin Trump supporter, homie,” even for fans willing to rationalize, downplay, or dismiss his comments (if the remarks bother them at all).

Sexyy Red has also complimented Trump in the past, though her comments stopped shy of offering financial support. While a lightning rod for commentators at the time, a combination of off-season timing, milder praise, and frankly, greater concurrent commercial success, has helped audiences and critics alike to frame this incident as a speedbump instead of a roadblock. And although she performed with a giant “MAKE AMERICA SEXYY AGAIN” hat at shows earlier this year, Sexyy Red said back in June she wouldn’t endorse any political candidate for the election (sorry to the five members of K-Hive really holding out for that cosign).

While the merch table is still piled high with M.A.S.A. apparel, her stage design leaned more politically neutral, Sexyy ‘24 ads patriotically spangled red, white, and blue; other highlights included a burning cartoon White House, oversize asses processed with EDGLRD-esque filters, and a fake CNN chyron live feed. This distancing, both in word and aesthetics, is probably part of why that final triptych of Kodak bops resets the mood before Red takes the stage for the last time.