Nicki Minaj Apologizes For Nazi Imagery, Director Doesn’t
Nicki Minaj recently released her new video, “Only.”
The fast-paced video features the overlapping voices of: Nicki Minaj, Drake, Lil’ Wayne, and Chris Brown, creating a cacophony of easily misheard lyrics. Although the tune can be catchy, the visual imagery in the video has caused social media to explode with accusations.
(Nicki Minaj – “Only” video below. Explicit content.)
The colors, flags, armbands, and gas masks showcased in the Nicki Minaj video were seen as representing Nazism. Twitter showed a great deal of issue with the symbolism in the video and responded with disappointment geared toward Nicki Minaj.
nicki minaj still hasn’t apologized for/deleted/gave us an explanation on the only video the disappointment is consuming my heart
— margh (@marghaery) November 9, 2014
who thought the lyric video for nicki minaj’s “only” was a good idea??????? who did this???
— ?a n d r e w? (@nokiatxt) November 8, 2014
Yo WTF was Nicki Minaj thinking? That “Only” Video is straight Nazi propaganda…she can’t be deflecting this one
— El Cosby Esq… (@TheCosby) November 8, 2014
Nicki Minaj picked up on the issue quickly and took to Twitter herself. She explained that she had nothing to do with the concept, that a couple of the people working on the video were Jewish and that the inspiration for the “Only” video wasn’t Nazism. Instead, it was supposed to be a mix of Sin City and Metalocalypse.
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.
— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) November 11, 2014
Both the producer, & person in charge of over seeing the lyric video (one of my best friends & videographer: A. Loucas), happen to be Jewish
— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) November 11, 2014
The artist who made the lyric video for “Only” was influenced by a cartoon on Cartoon Network called “Metalocalypse” & Sin City.
— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) November 11, 2014
Even with the excuses, Nicki Minaj still seemed apologetic over offending her fans.
Minaj’s director, Jeff Osbourne, did not apologize for the imagery in the “Only” video. In fact, he defended it.
He released a statement on MySpace about the video.
The statement began with Osbourne confirming that the imagery was indeed linked to Nazism and not to any of the performers involved.
“Before I start, be clear that these are my personal views and not the views of Nicki Minaj, Drake, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, or Young Money. First, I’m not apologizing for my work, nor will I dodge the immediate question. The flags, armbands, and gas mask (and perhaps my use of symmetry?) are all representative of Nazism.”
Osbourne went on to include a large list of other pieces of imagery he used. Different weapons and uniforms linked to other sources, such as Russia, the Supreme Court, SWAT, and a Vatican Pope (among other things). He then went on to conclude his statement by further defending his choice to clearly show a link to Nazism.
“As far as an explanation, I think it’s 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. What else is trending?”
