PETA tried to talk Trina out of performing at SeaWorld.
VIBE was in San Diego on Saturday to see the Miami rapper live at the famous theme park and caught up with Trina after her performance. She told the outlet that she was hesitant at first when she got the invite, saying, “I was excited, but I was like, SeaWorld? How do you perform at SeaWorld? This is like a theme park with kids.”
Trina then revealed that animal rights group PETA sent her “aggressive” messages in an effort to convince her to cancel her appearance. “‘We love you as an artist, we respect you, but you can’t perform,’” Trina recalled. The “Pull Over” rapper and her team ultimately decided to go ahead with the opportunity. VIBE also confirms that PETA reached out months before Trina was set to perform with a message requesting that she cancel while also making a “commitment to stay away from SeaWorld.”
SeaWorld San Diego president Tyler Carter was asked to comment on criticism over the park’s treatment of wildlife, and he told VIBE: “I think the biggest thing we say is come check it out for yourself.”
He added: “Our core mission is education, conservation, and doing better for the planet. I think there’s a lot that people may not fully understand. And so we always recommend checking out our website. We have a lot of information about what we do, and really, just come see it.”
Elsewhere in the profile, Trina talked highly of the new crop of female rapper, including GloRilla and Sexyy Red saying that she often plays their music to get the crowd excited for her live sets. “When it’s time for the crowd participation, I always go to the new girls coming up, because I be turned up, [and] intrigued with their music,” she admitted. “I hear it, and I see people going crazy; I love it. Because I know how that was when I started. And these little girls, I love them… They have came and dominated the game.”
This isn’t the first time SeaWorld San Diego has made headlines. Soulja Boy and Bow Wow‘s performance last month at their “Summer Spectacular Concert Series” went viral for the second consecutive year.