Kid Rock is using the words of late NBA legend Kobe Bryant to push back against criticism of his upcoming performance in this weekend’s MAGA-themed alternative to the Super Bowl halftime show.
The “Cowboy” singer shared a quote attributed to Bryant on his social media platforms Thursday as discourse surrounding his involvement in the “All-American Halftime Show” began heating up online.
“Learn to love the hate,” the quote reads. “Embrace it. Enjoy it. You earned it. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and everyone should have one about you.”
It continues: “Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones.”
Turning Point USA, the right-wing political group founded by slain activist Charlie Kirk, announced the lineup for its show on Monday. In addition to Kid Rock, the roster includes country singers Brantley Gilbert and Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett, who came in third on Season 16 of “American Idol.”
Plans for the event began shaping up in October of last year, amid conservative backlash to the NFL’s selection of Latin pop superstar Bad Bunny as the official headliner for the Super Bowl halftime show, set to take place this Sunday in Santa Clara, California.
A Puerto Rican native, Bad 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 at last weekend’s Grammy Awards.
“He’s said he’s having a dance party, wearing a dress, and singing in Spanish? Cool,” Kid Rock, left, said of Super Bowl halftime performer Bad Bunny. “We plan to play great songs for folks who love America.”
In a statement, Kid Rock said he and other “All-American Halftime Show” performers were “approaching this show like David and Goliath” before taking direct aim at Bad Bunny, who has been known to embrace gender-fluid fashion.
“He’s said he’s having a dance party, wearing a dress, and singing in Spanish? Cool,” he said, per Variety. “We plan to play great songs for folks who love America.”
As Kid Rock has amped up his criticism of Bad Bunny and the NFL, his song “Cool, Daddy Cool” began making the rounds online. The track, which appeared on the soundtrack of the 2001 film “Osmosis Jones,” contains the lyrics: “Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage … See some say that’s statutory/But I say it’s mandatory.”
“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin alluded to Kid Rock’s incendiary lyrics in a Friday segment in which she and other hosts defended Bad Bunny.
“So, if that’s more American, go for it,” Hostin said, before co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin deemed Kid Rock “a very average artist who has mostly kind of gone past his prime.”
One person who doesn’t appear vexed by the brouhaha, however, is Bad Bunny himself. In a Thursday press conference, the musician said viewers will “only have to worry about dancing” when he takes the stage during the big game Sunday.
“They don’t even have to learn Spanish. Better they learn to dance,” he said. “There is no better dance than the one that comes from the heart.”