Nicki Minaj, the colorful rapper/pop icon with a flair for controversy and outrageous outfits, pulled out of the Hot 97’s Summer Jam hours before she was scheduled to perform. The cause of her impromptu exodus: DJ Peter Rosenberg, who boldly declared on-air that Minja’s musical output was no longer “real hip-hop” and that her new song, “Starships”, was, in fact, “wack”. All of this went down during the concert’s pre-show, which, obviously, did not settle with the musician.
“I know there are some chicks in here waiting to sing along with ‘Starships’ later,” Rosenberg said in-between sets. “I’m not talking to y’all right now.” He went on to add that Hot 97 was only interested in “real hip-hop”.
As a result of Rosenberg’s commentary, Lil Wayne, who signed Minaj to his Cash Money label, decided to stand beside his artist by issuing the following tweet:
Young Money ain’t doing summer jam.
Minaj, meanwhile, was clearly torn between performing for her countless fans or standing behind the guy who signs her checks. In a Twitter response of her own — who doesn’t respond to life’s numerous problems on the popular micro-blogging website these days? — Nicki explained the conundrum she was facing:
I go above and beyond for my fans. But won’t ever go against wayne’s word. What he says, goes.
In an effort to clear the air and set the record straight, Minaj heatedly discussed the prickly situation with Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex. “For three hours, we emailed [Hot 97 manager Ebro Darden], and actually, my manager was the first person to tell me: Yo, you’re not going on that stage. Wayne was the second person,” she explained in the interview. “For three hours, we could not get a resolution. [CEO of Hip Hop Since 1978] G. Roberson emailed me, and said: Hey, I need you on the phone. Ebro said ‘Let me get to the bottom of this.’ You know I love Ebro. After he sent that email, we never heard back.”
Regardless of what you may think of her style, Minaj, it would seem, is here to stay. Her latest album, “Roman Reloaded”, debuted at the top of Billboard charts in April.
