Nicki Minaj and Drake: 'The PinkPrint' Rapper Says 'Only' Video's Alleged Nazi Imagery Video Was Inspired by 'Metalocalypse,' 'Sin City'
Nicki Minaj, the 31-year-old Trinidadian-American bubblegum rapper, has come into controversy again -- this time for her lyric video of "Only," the third single from her upcoming third album "The PinkPrint."
Released late on Nov. 7, the music video premiered close to the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and days before Veteran's Day.
Critics were outraged.
"Not surprisingly, it didn't take long for comparisons to the Nazis to be made, from the vainglorious buildings of Albert Speer and S&M-favourites in black uniforms to armbands and flags with a design reminiscent of a swastika and the exultant images of filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl from her films chronicling the rallies in Nuremberg and the 1936 Berlin Olympics, " Bernard Zuel, senior music writer of Sidney Morning Herald, said.
Time magazine also noted that many people "are blasting the attempt to make the Third Reich chic, placing the word 'Chamber' next to an image of a gas mask (an allusion to the gas chambers used in Hitler's genocide)."
In the video, Nicki is also depicted as a dictator, while Lil Wayne was portrayed as a capitalist war profiteer, Chris Brown as a senior martial official, and, ironically, Drake was cast as the Pope.
Nicki posted a message on Twitter the morning of Nov. 11, noting that the director of the music video, Jeff Osborne, was inspired by a popular animated series.
"The artist who made the lyric video for 'Only' was influenced by a cartoon on Cartoon Network called 'Metalocalypse' & Sin City," she wrote.
Still, the Nazi Regime seemed to inspire the visualizations, with a "Maus"-style militia standing about face and wearing gas masks and SS-style armbands with the Young Money insignia on them.
Although the scandal has exploded throughout the internet, Gawker notes that the director of the clip has yet to comment on the video, however has been retweeting negative reactions on his Twitter account.
Self-described Halifax rap legend Jesse Dangerously wrote to Osborne on Twitter, asking the director-cinematographer the hard to ask questions.
"Yo @JOsborne32 - folks are debating the intent of totalitarian imagery in your lyric video for Nicki's new 'Only' joint. What's your view?" he said, adding, "Specifically some folks are less certain than others that the imagery is specifically intended to reference Nazi iconography."
To clear her name, Nicki took to Twitter the morning of Nov. 11, perhaps inadvertently placing in the fire.
"Both the producer, & person in charge of over seeing the lyric video (one of my best friends & videographer: A. Loucas), happen to be Jewish." she said, adding, "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."
Drake, one of the collaborators of the song who is also Jewish, fell under fire.
"Drake, I don't get how you're Jewish participating in a video that is clearly mimicking Nazi propaganda like are you dumb or do u not care?" someone tweeted according to The Jerusalem Post.
As outrage has spread, the video has had over 10 million views via various video post on YouTube.
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