Was Nicki Minaj’s “Only” Lyric Video Inspired by Hitler?
Nicki Minaj’s new lyric video for her latest single “Only” is under attack for imagery reminiscent of the Nazi aesthetic. The Jeff Osborne-directed animated visual features empress Nicki presiding over a vast military standing at attention, wearing armbands that sport Young Money’s YM logo (in place of the SS army’s swastika). Also, there are tanks, gas masks and giant red flags with a design similar to the infamous fascist regime. Yikes.
In other Nicki news, the Queen Barbie hosted the MTV EMAs last night from the UK. There, she performed yet another new track from December’s upcoming album The Pink Print. The Skylar Grey-featured cut is called “Bed of Lies,” and touches on a fizzled relationship that we’re guessing is about recently estranged lover Safaree: “You was caught up in the thrill of it/ You was with me way before I hit a quarter mill in it/Put you in a crib and you ain’t never pay a bill in it/I was killin’ it, now you got me popping pills and in it.”
Rihanna Launches Diamond Ball for Charity
Rihanna is giving back, and it has nothing to do with an Instagram shot of her derriere. The Bajan singer has announced she’ll hold her first Diamond Ball next month to benefit her Clara Lionel Foundation, which benefits global arts and education. The black-tie event takes place on December 11 at the Vineyard in Beverly Hills, and will seat 600 guests, including celebrities. Rih Rih says the first-annual event will be “elegant and inspirational,” adding: “There is truly nothing I’m more proud of and we’ve just gotten started.”
Bruno Mars Links With Mark Ronson for New “Uptown Funk” Single
Has Bruno Mars season returned? Not quite. But the soulful renaissance singer is holding you over with “Uptown Funk,” his co-written and co-produced lead single for Mark Ronson’s upcoming album, Uptown Special. The energetic track, released today (November 11), is powered by horns and hefty inspiration from George Clinton’s P-Funk. “[Mars is] a good friend and one of the most extraordinarily talented people I know, so of course I wanted him on the record,” Ronson says. “It doesn’t hurt to have the world’s biggest pop star on your album.” The duo, which has previously collaborated on Mars’s “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Gorilla,” will perform the vibrant new record on Saturday Night Live on November 22. Along with “Uptown Funk,” Bruno also graces a Mystikal-featured record called “Feels Right” on the London-born producer’s upcoming hip-hop, funk, soul and R&B-influenced album, slated for a January 27, 2015 release.
