Two Minds

We apologise for the double Minaj post, we don't want to become one of those blogs that only post about one artist, constantly, like an inane, blindly loving fansite. BUT. This morning along with the official tracklist for her debut album, Pink Friday, Nicki released a track to iTunes, "Roman's Revenge". The track, as was already revealed in an MTV interview, features Eminem, and is notable not only because it plays host to Marshall's infamous alter ego, Slim Shady, but also Minaj's already equally notorious alter ego: Roman.

According to some sources, Roman Zolanski is a gay man, which is incredibly controversial considering the hip hop community's attitude towards homosexuals (Nicki Minaj has already flouted expectations by appearing in a gay lifestyle magazine, saying she believes there'll be an openly gay rapper in her lifetime). So what is both disturbing and surprising is that on "Roman's Revenge" (above), not only do we hear Eminem rapping about forcibly urinating on someone (apparently Mariah Carey?!) - disgusting, by anyone's standards - but also using the word 'faggots' and the phrase 'no homo'. If you're not familiar with 'no homo' we suggest you watch this.

So why has Minaj, supposedly a gay rights advocate - or at the very least a tolerant supporter, who has performed at an actual gay pride parade - allowed the world's most successful rapper to spout casually homophobic bile on her record? We've heard explanations that claim Slim Shady and Roman, the alter egos, are attempting to outdo each other in terms of nastiness, or that Eminem's derogatory term is contextualised by the fact that he's playing a character, or that there's some sort of story. But it still disturbs us. Nicki Minaj has accrued a huge number of gay fans, and this feels like a slight. There's nothing 'fierce' or 'fiery' or 'raw' about a man violently spitting: "All you lil faggots can suck it, no homo, but I’ma stick it to ‘em like refrigerator magnets". The sting is double, considering the latest slew of gay teen suicides. It's not the worst or most homophobic thing we've ever heard from a mainstream rapper, but that doesn't excuse it, and it doesn't sit well with us at all.

Perhaps Nicki Minaj didn't have a choice? Imagine you are a much-hyped new artist, but still don't even have an album out and you're lucky enough to get the world's biggest selling rapper on your track - are you in a position to criticise the lyrics he chooses to use? Probably not. But even so, that doesn't excuse her from the violent misogyny she employs elsewhere: "I’m a bad bitch, I’m a cunt, and I’ll kick that ho, punt" and "You lil brag-a-lot, I beat you with a padlock". We understand that hip hop often features violent bragging and posturing that doesn't actually translate to real life violence, but it sounds specifically shocking coming from a female rapper who has so far made her name through playfulness, drag queen-style wigs, colourful (i.e. filthy) rhymes, and a refreshing attitude towards the gay community.

Missy Elliott never raps about committing acts of violence, does she? So it's not necessary. Does it say anything? Does it mean anything?

Having said that, the beat, as the kids say, is sick.