Below is my open letter to Hip-Hop artist Travis Scott, who released a top 2018 album "Astroworld", and has just been confirmed as the 2nd performer besides Maroon 5 at the Super Bowl. To tweet this open letter directly to Travis Scott, click right here.

To Travis Scott,

Please don't do it. Don't perform next to Maroon 5 at the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show. You have much more to lose than to gain -- and when you lose it's much harder to gain back. It takes a long time to gain respect, but a quick second to lose it. If you perform at the Super Bowl, you will lose the respect of many who supported your come up -- especially people who believe in racial equality & justice.

I don't want that to happen to you. Especially since we both came up from the same area.

I've never been this personal, but I guess now is the time. We're both born and raised in Southwest H-Town (Houston, TX). You're from Mo-City (Missouri City), I'm from Alief. You went to Elkins High, I went to nearby Elsik High. We both did music coming up (you as a rapper, me as a saxophone artist). We both produce music. You left UTSA (University of Texas San Antonio) to go to New York to make it in the music game. I went from Houston to NYC as well, but left after a new months to go into tech (it's too cold and expensive out in New York City).

You continued the music grind. You went to LA, back to Houston, then back to LA again when rapper T.I. finally co-signed you. The rest is history. From a person born and raised in Houston, I couldn't be happier for your success -- especially putting out an album called "Astroworld". For those of us born in Houston, we knew how much the real Astroworld theme park meant to us before it was taken down. Your album title kept the name alive for the world to see. You never forgot about your roots.

So being from Mo City, you damn well know how the cops treated people out there. You know police brutality is real. You know how Colin Kaepernick put his career on the line to stand up for us. You even said it yourself on "Huncho Jack": “Take a knee like the ‘Niners (Kaepernick) /Join the team, don’t divide us (join them)”.

"Join the team, don't divide us". Well, the people who support Kaepernick turned down the chance to perform with Maroon 5 in support of Kaepernick. Jay-Z (who's probably talking to you at the moment), Rihanna, and much more agree the NFL did wrong by banning Kaepernick for taking a knee for us. Many of your core fanbase agrees as well. By joining Maroon 5, you are indeed dividing us -- especially Black people -- whether you know it or not.

Many people are now likely asking: "Why am I trying to mess with your bag (money)?" As you already know, the NFL doesn't pay its artists to perform during the Super Bowl, but does take care of all its expenses (unless something changed in your negotiation process). So all that's there to gain is more exposure. Who does that benefit more: You, or the NFL? Let's check the facts: Advertising revenue from the 2018 Super Bowl was $419 million. People pay for ads when the platform has lots of viewers. You (and Maroon 5) bring lots of viewers due to star power. In other words, the NFL benefits more than you do. The artists that turned down the halftime show understood that. Hopefully after reading this, you will as well.

I don't want to see an artist from my hometown lose many of his core fanbase due to extra fame. By accepting this show, that's exactly what will likely happen.

One more thing: Black people look up to folks like you (and other influencers) to see if we can really show solidarity when times get tough. People say Black folks don't stick together because someone always goes for the money/fame. PLEASE DON'T BE THAT PERSON! If there's any weakness involved in our solidarity, the powers that be won't take us seriously.

Yes, I know Black NFL players haven't boycotted yet -- that's another story for another day. But they depend on the NFL for checks. You, Travis Scott, don't depend on the league for anything. You're already famous. Look at the love you're getting from your current Astroworld tour. You don't need more exposure from the league, no matter what your team says. The cause matters much more!

Finally, check out these names:

Eric Garner
Michael Brown
Tamir Rice
Jordan Edwards
Christian Taylor
Alton Sterling 
Philando Castile
Jamar Clark
Kenney Watkins
Sandra Bland
Terence Crutcher

These are some of the unarmed Black people Colin Kaepernick took a knee for. He's banned because of this. Artists have turned down the Super Bowl because of what happened to Kaep. So to recite your lyrics again:

"Join the team, don’t divide us (join them)”

Maybe you should do what the lyrics say. Join us, and stand in solidarity. Don't perform in protest to Colin Kaepernick being banned for taking a knee for us.

Thanks for reading,

- Vic

P.S. - If you need a further reminder why Kaepernick's stance is important, check out the above video. The cause is bigger than the performance.

To tweet this open letter directly to Travis Scott, click right here.