Sensational Inspiration: Nicki Minaj

So recently, I stumbled on a video of Nicki Minaj on Ellen with a fan.

So it turns out that there is a young 8 year old girl named Sophia Grace who absolutely loved Nicki Minaj’s first hit: Super Bass. She uploads a spectacular video of her rapping out the entire song on YouTube, and gets extremely famous. Ellen then calls her up in the show, and she gets to actually greet Nicki for the first time. And to top the cherry on the ice cream sundae, Nicki & Sophia actually sing Super Bass together on the Ellen show.

This video sort of caught me and my usual “ranting on Nicki” mode off guard. Though the behavior of Minaj generally bothers me, I felt as though this moment in the show with Ellen proved her to not be as bad a role model as many would expect.

While it is disturbing to see such young girls have a strong passion for Minaj’s music (which is usually rather vulgar), the scene is pretty well played. The first thing Nicki tells her fan after they greet is: “Music is great, but books are better”. She then further urges Sophia to pursue her education, and keep music as a “side thing”. I personally thought that was pretty ideal & big ‘sisterly’ thing to say.

Djrays.com

While I still keep urge to my claim that generally Nicki is not the ideal role model for little girls; I guess I can heed to the fact that if she is the ultimate representation for the youth then shes not so bad in general. Nicki’s music is considered unique; transitioning us into this new generation where people are able to express different emotions which are otherwise against societal norms. On the other hand, artists such as Nicki Minaj (Pink, Lady Gaga, Kesha) are also usually pushing or promoting some unethical ideologies in their music.

heraldsun.com.au

I suppose this new “hip-pop” is just an inevitable factor in society right now, so I guess I can exhale in relief that while Nicki may not be promoting the best music; shes still holding on to some more realistic values to present face to face when meeting with fans.

 

 

 

Nicki Minaj NOT Nominated For Grammy’s 2013

An article published by MTV just released that Nicki Minaj has in fact, not been nominated for any Grammy’s this year. The news has been quite shocking for some, but it may just be possible that the reason Minaj has no nominations this year is because of her performance last year. Kyle Anderson’s report covering last year’s Grammy’s performance may just remind us of the astounding debacle that Nicki pulled in 2012; which involved her arriving with a Pope, a live exorcism, and a few religious values left questioned.

Taken from billboard.com

Taken from Imgres.com

Nicki Minaj: Best Feminist of All Time?

I recently came across an article about Nicki Minaj by Julianne Escobedo Shepherd which discussed the feminist qualities of Nicki Minaj. I must say, I was surprised. 

In her article, Nicki Minaj’s Retroactive Feminism, Shephard’s main claim: that Nicki Minaj stops short of being just about the best feminist right now. I must say I was intrigued as I read, but there are definitely some niches to catch here.

“That the song was cast as purely the provenance of women (by a white man, no less) helped make Minaj’s legions of rabid fans worldwide (she calls them Barbz, feminizing both genders by nicknaming them after Barbie) even more loyal to her movement. 

Okay I must stop right here. Barbz? Barbz refers to the term “Barbie” & Barbies are not exactly well known for being feminist. On the contrary, Barbies are all about plastic looks and hooking up with as many boys as you can in your pink convertible (okay maybe that is a bit rash, but I just don’t see where the feminism comes in play there). 

She is vehement about being a positive role model in kind. She respects and encourages her fans as much as she can, and early on in her career, she toned down the sexuality of her image after realizing how many young women look up to her”. 

This sentence definitely got me. Nicki Minaj is absolutely no where close to being a “perfect” role model. As I have probably blabbed about in almost every post in this blog, Nicki Minaj promotes a fake artificiality, the idea that looks and boobs are the only things that can get you anywhere. Her music promotes, well, nothing. Her actions instill this idea in our generation that boundaries and ethics are no longer valued. And that is not a healthy outlook for society as a whole. 

She also absolutely has not toned down her sexuality.  In fact, she is all about her sexuality, last time I checked her outfit in her latest music video, Va Va Voom. The amount of young women who look up to her should look up to a more inspirational figure, one who can promote dignity, wisdom, education, intelligence, & good looks all in one go: Michelle Obama. 

In terms of this article, I admit that Nicki Minaj has incorporated some ideas of feminism in her personality, but some of those “ideas” are definitely not positive, or healthy to instill to fans. 

 

Nicki Minaj Blasts Steven Tyler: Racist Accusation on Twitter

Psych blogger Chris Chambers reports about Nicki Minaj’s latest horrendous fight on Twitter. Nicki Minaj viciously tweeted that Steven Tyler is “racist” in regards to her judging skills on American Idol in this article.

 

Va Va Voom: The Twisted Fairy Tale Inspiration of Nicki Minaj

I recently watched yet another one of Nicki Minaj’s most popular music videos of the season: Va Va Voom.

I must say, this is yet another video which inspired me to put my full critiquing skills to use. This video features Nicki Minaj, and the outline of the clip is pretty simple: a fairy tale. However, unlike the typical Disney “I love you & we’re going to unrealistically live happily ever after” fairy tales, this one has a bit of a twist.

Taken from Idolator.com

The video starts with Nicki, dressed in but a small top & a huge furry tail (basically, she is a unicorn) and greets a rogue prince. The two happily pounce about in love, but then she goes in coma when an evil “Robin Hood” attacks her (while she is happily cooking in a cottage).  The twist is completed when Nicki emerges as the evil queen, robed in black, and seduces the prince before he can save his lovely maiden. Overall, not the perfect fit for the glass slipper of a beautiful fairy tale.

When Nicki plays the role of an evil seductive Queen, it seems as though she’s at her most comfortable & highest peak of the entire clip.  She seems to revel in the darkness, keeping the final climax of the video & the song at the point where the Queen arrives. Admittedly, it suits her rather well.

From a sociological perspective, the interesting part about Nicki reveling in her role as the “bad girl” was, that she really captured a behavior which is widely accepted today among young American female teenagers. Something which would have been considered bad maybe a decade ago,  but not so much now. In fact, its pretty darn cool. Once upon a time, it would have been awesome to clean a stranger’s house & then get kissed & sweep away helplessly in the arms of a Prince Charming (referring to Nicki’s role as Snow White while shes cooking). But now, its the sinful Queen which people are more interested in.

Though I admit that Nicki Minaj is not in my good books (as my blog often presents), her tactics of portraying certain sociological ideas are rather uncanny. I focus my lens on women as a prime example for this. A few decades ago, the idea of a fairy tale was definitely different. To be a princess, a woman was beautiful, impossibly thin, helpless, and in some sort of distressing situation. A prince would then eventually jump for the rescue, and sweep the beautiful princess in his arms and they would live happily ever after. This idea is what defined the fairy tale.  Women were ingrained to feel the way a princess would feel.

Today, however, things are a little bit different. Being a princess, not so cool anymore. Dr. Carol Lieberman, an internally renowned media psychiatrist expressed her thoughts about this issue full frontal in an interview with Starpulse about why “bad” girls are what guys are looking for today.  At one point in the interview, she is asked why Prince William was attracted to Kate Middleton of all the eligible ladies in the city. She replied:

“Kate and William had just been platonic friends before the fashion show where Kate wore the sexy dress that made William turn to his friend and say, “Wow! She’s hot!” Kate turned this see-through skirt, by design student Charlotte Todd, as part of her Art of Seduction line, into a dress, which she wore over black lingerie”. 

This article really got me, & so did the Va Va Voom video. Nicki Minaj’s music video is the ultimate representation for some ideas which are accepted among females in our society today. No longer are fairy tales beautified in this generation, but rather the dark side is accepted & reveled in. Frankly, there is really no point being a damsel in distress when the men are looking for a bad ass queen.

Nicki Minaj barrages the Breakfast Club

Rayna Dean addresses another outrageous accusation by Nicki Minaj, who expressed her insult over DJ Envy & Angela Yee for not supporting her music in the Hip Hop blog. 

 

Respectability of African American Women Today: Michelle vs. Nicki

After the elections, there have been many debates over the character of Nicki Minaj and Michelle Obama. Janell Hobson attacks the depictions between these two women during the 2012 elections, and how both these well known celebrities are representing African American women in our post modern 21st century society today.

Image taken from US weekly

In her article, Hobson addresses the elegant and dignified respectability of Michelle Obama; representing African American women in a rather inspiring manner during the Democratic Convention. Political Analyst Sophia A. Nelson, in her blog, claims that “Michelle Obama has redefined black women”. Nelson mentioned:

“She effortlessly destroyed harsh stereotypes about who black women are, and made us something we rarely ever get to be in public: feminine, soft, vulnerable, loving, warm, proud, compassionate, smart, affirmed, dynamic, bold, reflective, humble, and fun all at once”. 

Captured from Industry Blitz 6/13/10

On the other hand, there is our other new inspiration: Nicki Minaj. A point which Hobson seemed to hit right at its pinnacle was the concern that Minaj could be the possible role model for African American women today. Her demeanor, adherent plasticity, attitude, and affection for artificiality is an aspect that is unhealthy for women to strive for. The mentality which Nicki Minaj monuments is not one that any woman should work to achieve. Nicki’s recent “endorsing Mitt Romney” debacle through her music has spurred a lot of controversy; and after analyzing both their goals under theoretical lens, it can definitely be concurred that Nicki Minaj is the “black woman making an obvious farce out of the raced, classed and gendered stereotypes we are expected to embody” .

 All in all, I am an advocate for women’s rights, and our femisphere can only prevail when there are more respectable, dignified, well educated, empowering, formal, adherent, and strong women like Michelle Obama who speak for all females in society. Both Nicki & Michelle rose from the depths of a troubled childhood, yet we can see that in the end, it is  the decisions we make and the opportunities we can obtain which ultimately help us reach our goal. Nicki & Michelle are but proof that we can make the best with what we have, and shape who we are today.

Team Nicki or Team Barbs?

Nicki Minaj recently went off on Barbara Walters, accusing her of being biased for siding with Mariah Carey on her feud. Soda Head wraps an article over Nicki’s complaints & accusations. The question is: Team Barbs or Team Nicki? Mention through a comment below!

Nicki Minaj & “The Boys”: A Feminist Inside Point of View

 

Lately, the Nicki Minaj fan pages & entertainment feeds have been blasted with strong views of criticism or complete support for Minaj’s new music video featuring Cassie: “The Boys”. This hyper sexualized, over exotic music video has been a new plague for the music critics, and they’re calling the shots.

Credits go to GlobalGrind.com

A particular post caught me at the exact idea that I felt when I first saw this music video (which was surprisingly not hate or disgust and so forth). Well known writer Melissa Saxton addressed a certain new issue which I really caught (as a woman in American society today) which she called: “third wave feminism”. When I looked into this intriguing idea, I found that there is actually a whole concept that has been published over third wave feminism! A fascinating theory that revolves around the general idea of feminism of course, but with a more “individual empowerment of women and less on activism. It celebrates women’s journeys to build meaningful identities in the complex contemporary world” (Suite101).

This article strengthens the idea that Nicki Minaj & Cassie were able to successfully portray this double   edged performance, where they were able to rap about loss of man in their lives, and keep strong about it. Her set is the completely stereotypical pink: the color of a woman. Yet her actions are the complete opposite. She emerges with a flamethrower, and burns a barber shop full of men to the ground. And whatever she does, it seems as though the men revere her (the scene where a man is painting the other man instead of a wall by accident, etc.). There is also that touch of sexuality, as even though Cassie & Nicki are rapping about boys, the sexual dance moves that Nicki & Cassie pull on each other suggest that they may be thinking otherwise. Or quite possibly honing their strength together against boys, as one can only interpret. There are repeated moments like these (Nicki rubs Cassie’s belly, bends and dances between her thighs).

Nicki Minaj & Cassie in The Boys Music Video
Credits are from supastarmag.com

This plays on a theory of third wave feminism. According to Naomi Rockler Gladen, free lance blogger & instructional designer, women with this identity  “celebrates women’s multiple and sometimes contradictory identities in today’s world. Third Wave feminists are encouraged to build their own identities from the available buffet, and to not worry if the items on their plate are not served together traditionally. Women can unapologetically celebrate a plate full of entrée choices like soccer mom, career woman, lover, wife, lesbian, activist, consumer, girly girl, tomboy, sweetheart, bitch, good girl, princess, or sex symbol” (Suite 101). 

We are unable to decide which part of the woman we want to embrace: the manly side or the womanly? As Saxton claims: “should women act like tough men to succeed in a still-patriarchal world or attempt to change this world? Women live in a tension between conventional masculinities and femininities. The ideal empowered feminist today will be simultaneously tough and sexy; able to strut in high heels or suavely sport a suit; able to roll her sleeves up and duke it out or able to let her hair down and laugh with the girls?”.

To conclude, I personally think this music video definitely adheres and admonishes on Saxton’s idea of third wave feminism. I wouldn’t be particularly surprised if Nicki supports girl power: her past was a traumatizing one full of poverty, substance abuse, and a violent male (her father) to complete the puzzle. Both ways, “The Boys” is definitely a music video worth watching and analyzing for the feminists.

Nicki Minaj’s New Single “Freedom”: A Wonderful Attribute for Sandy

A wonderfully employed article by Randall Roberts about Nicki’s  problems over her new single, Freedom.

As a New York born citizen, it seems as though her worries for home in Queens from the devastating hurricane are not as large or apparent as problems over her new single. Irony at its greatest.

 

Sandy Destruction
Credits go to nj.com