Trina went on with the show at SeaWorld despite protests from animal rights organization PETA.
“Da Baddest Bitch” rapper was the most recent hip-hop act to perform at SeaWorld San Diego, where Waka Flocka Flame, Fat Joe, Ying Yang Twins and Bow Wow and Soulja Boy also headlined concerts over the summer. In an interview with VIBE‘s Demicia Inman, Trina revealed that PETA contacted her before the show and tried to talk her out of the gig due to SeaWorld’s alleged animal abuse practices.
Over the last decade, the park has been accused of enslaving animals, particularly orcas, and shortening the lifespans of marine animals due to confined spaces. A bulk of these allegations arose after the release of 2013 documentary Blackfish.
“I was excited, but I was like, SeaWorld? How do you perform at SeaWorld? This is like a theme park with kids,” Trina told VIBE about her initial hesitation to perform. She added that PETA’s messages to her team were “aggressive.”
“‘We love you as an artist, we respect you, but you can’t perform,'” Trina recalled of PETA’s communication to her. But upon doing further research into SeaWorld, Trina accepted the gig although PETA stated that they asked her to make a “commitment to stay away from SeaWorld.”
“I think the biggest thing we say is come check it out for yourself… Our core mission is education, conservation, and doing better for the planet,” said Tyler Carter, SeaWorld San Diego Park President.
“I think there’s a lot that people may not fully understand,” he continued. “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.”
In January, per Newsweek, PETA blasted San Diego City Council for accepting a $8.5 million settlement from SeaWorld for rent, late fees and interest accrued when the park was closed during the pandemic.
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