Nicki Minaj upset both fans and observers, including the Anti-Defamation League, last week when she released a seemingly Nazi-inspired lyric video for her new single "Only."
The video features, among other things, a Young Money logo emblazoned on a flag like a swastika and soldiers in SS-style red armbands featuring the logo.
After a weekend of silence, Minaj finally addressed the controversy with a series of defensive tweets.
First, she said the video was inspired by Metalocalypse and Sin City.
The artist who made the lyric video for “Only” was influenced by a cartoon on Cartoon Network called "Metalocalypse" & Sin City.
Neither of which are known for employing Nazi imagery.
She went on to play the "But some of my best friends are Jewish" card.
Both the producer, & person in charge of over seeing the lyric video (one of my best friends & videographer: A. Loucas), happen to be Jewish
Before wrapping up with an "I'm sorry you were offended" non-apology.
I didn't come up w/the concept, but I'm very sorry & take full responsibility if it has offended anyone. I'd never condone Nazism in my art.
Minaj was not helped by director Jeff Osborne, who released his own statement on MySpace.
The flags, armbands, and gas mask (and perhaps my use of symmetry?) are all representative of Nazism. But a majority of the recognizable models/symbols are American.
As far as an explanation, I think its actually important to remind younger generations of atrocities that occurred in the past as a way to prevent them from happening in the future. 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.
After Minaj and Osborne's non-apologies, the ad-supported video still remains on YouTube where it's amassed over two million views.
