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Post by Admin on Nov 12, 2014 0:08:36 GMT
Nicki Minaj found herself in some seriously hot water this past weekend with the release of a new video. The rapper, 31, debuted the lyric video to her song "Only" on Friday, Nov. 7, and with it, got a healthy dose of controversy. Minaj's latest offering is a raunchy collaboration with Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown. While the lyrics push enough boundaries to raise some eyebrows, the performer made waves with the accompanying video.  The old-fashioned illustrated clip depicts Minaj as an army-leading dictator of sorts, surrounded by subjects and servants. A seemingly swastika-inspired symbol adorns flags and signage as Minaj directs her army. "Only" leads to shots of tanks and rows of army fighters, before showing fighter jets, explosions, and military garb, such as hats and jackets.  The video received a swift and angry reaction from viewers who interpreted the drawings as Nazi imagery. Though the clip remains online, Minaj took to Twitter on Tuesday, Nov. 11 to apologize for the video -- admitting her mistake on a national holiday that honors those who fought in wars, including World War II. "The artist who made the lyric video for 'Only' was influenced by a cartoon on Cartoon Network called Metalocalypse & Sin City," the "Anaconda" performer began. "Both the producer, & person in charge of over seeing the lyric video (one of my best friends & videographer: A. Loucas), happen to be Jewish."  "First, I'm not apologizing for my work, nor will I dodge the immediate question," Jeffrey Osborne told Myspace. "The flags, armbands, and gas mask (and perhaps my use of symmetry?) are all representative of Nazis." The video director said that his sentiments were his own and did not reflect those of Minaj, her label Young Money (whose logo he emblazoned on red armbands, similar to a swastika) or the other artists who appeared on the song (Drake, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown). "As far as an explanation, I think it's actually important to remind younger generations of atrocities that occurred in the past as a way to prevent them from happening in the future," Osborne said. "And the most effective way of connecting with people today is through social media and pop culture. So if my work is misinterpreted because it's not a sappy tearjerker, sorry I'm not sorry. What else is trending?" |
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Post by Admin on Dec 19, 2014 23:49:51 GMT
 Nicki Minaj's "Only" flies 10-1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, giving the artist her fourth No. 1 -- the most among female rappers in the 56 years since the chart launched as a sales/airplay hybrid tally. Minaj surpasses Missy Elliott (with three leaders), and pulls ahead of Da Brat and Iggy Azalea (each with two). They are the only female rappers with multiple No. 1s. "Only" -- featuring Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown -- zooms to No. 1 following the Dec. 12 release of its music video. It's up 82 percent in overall chart points, powered by the streaming of the song and its video (up 157 percent in streams according to Nielsen Music, earning the chart's Greatest Gainer/Streaming honor). Eighty percent of the tune's streaming clicks for the week came from Vevo on YouTube. The new No. 1 also gives Drake his 12th leader on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Lil Wayne notches his ninth crowning song with the climb, while Chris Brown nets his fifth. On R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, “Only” takes the Greatest Gainer tag, hopping 7-5. A 27 percent rise in audience at the format bumps impressions to 24.2 million, according to Nielsen Music -- its best week since its Nov. 17 debut. |
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Post by Admin on Jan 1, 2015 23:46:16 GMT
 Speaking out for the first time about the spate of police violence against unarmed black men this year, Nicki Minaj calls the unpunished killing of Staten Island man Eric Garner via a chokehold "sickening" in the new issue of Rolling Stone. "It's sickening, and I've been reading so many people saying, 'Why are we surprised?' That's what's really sad: that we should somehow be used to being treated like animals," Minaj tells contributing editor Jonah Weiner in our new cover story, on stands Friday. "It's gotten to the point where people feel like there's no accountability: If you are law enforcement and you do something to a black person, you can get away with it." Reflecting on the role of black artists in addressing a racist society, Minaj spoke about the backlash Kanye West faced after announcing, "George Bush doesn't care about black people" during A Concert for Hurricane Relief in September 2005. "I feel like when Public Enemy were doing 'Fight the Power,' we as a culture had more power — now it feels hopeless," Minaj says. "People say, 'Why aren't black celebrities speaking out more?' But look what happened to Kanye when he spoke out. People told him to apologize to Bush!" Minaj points out that West has been silent on recent social-justice issues. "He was the unofficial spokesman for hip-hop, and he got torn apart," she says. "And now you haven't heard him speaking about these last couple things, and it's sad. Because how many times can you be made to feel horrible for caring about your people before you say, 'Fuck it, it's not worth it, let me live my life because I'm rich, and why should I give a fuck?'" |
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Post by Admin on Jan 2, 2015 23:47:19 GMT
A man has been banned from drinking alcohol after dialling 999 and saying he was pop star Nicki Minaj. Steven Brown, 23, from Cairn Walk in Crumlin, Co Antrim, made two calls in breach of a previous ASBO banning him from using the emergency number.  Belfast High Court heard a man first called at 10.15 am on Christmas Day claiming two men were making threats to kill him but was too intoxicated to provide further information. Five minutes later, the same man rang 999 again and told operators he wanted to cancel the first call, the prosecution said. It was during this second call that the man claimed to be the rapper Minaj and said there was a poltergeist in his house. When police arrested him, Brown did not deny making the calls and told officers he felt there really was an emergency when he dialled the number.  The prosecution said he had recently been released "after serving a sentence for offences of a similar nature" and that he was an alcoholic. A defence barrister said Brown had just been released from hospital, was taking medication and had consumed alcohol, against the advice of doctors. |
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Post by Admin on Jan 13, 2015 0:41:38 GMT
 Nicki Minaj has said she revealed things on her new album 'The Pinkprint' that she'd never dared shared with fans before, including details of a painful break up with her partner of 11 years Safaree Samuels. The rapper also discussed an early pregnancy that ended in abortion when she was dating an older man from Queens while attending the prestigious Manhattan performing-arts high school LaGuardia, calling it a decision that has "haunted me all my life". Minaj said she first rapped about the experience on a mixtape track called 'Autobiography', which she said she "didn't expect anyone to hear". "[Now] millions of people are gonna hear it. And you gotta watch everything you say — people find an issue with every fucking thing," she said. The rapper added, however, that none of this has strayed her from her mission of inspiring girls to be smart and sexy. "With a video like 'Anaconda,' I'm a grown-ass fucking woman! I stand for girls wanting to be sexy and dance, but also having a strong sense of themselves," she said. "If you got a big ol' butt? Shake it! Who cares? That doesn't mean you shouldn't be graduating from college."  Nicki Minaj recently released a 16-minute short film that features three tracks taken from 'The Pinkprint', which was released last month. 'The Pinkprint Movie' is directed by Taylor Cohen and Francesco Carrozzini, and stars Minaj as a woman experiencing the breakdown of a relationship. The piece is divided into three parts –'The Crying Game', 'I Lied' and 'Grand Piano' – with each section scored by the album track of the same name. Watch the behind-the-scenes video below. |
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