Nicki Minaj Performs On ‘Letterman’

Published: Friday 19th Nov 2010 by Sam

Employing the smart model of promotion, Nicki Minaj has hit the TV circuit with increased vigour to plug her ‘Pink Friday’ LP ahead of its release next week. The Young Money Mrs most recent stop was The Late Show With David Letterman, where she performed current single ‘Right Thru Me’.

Peep the action after the jump…


Granted Ms. Minaj is no Lauryn Hill, that wasn’t a bad performance per se. Although, surely it wouldn’t hurt to ‘command’ the stage more. Or at all for that matter. I mean if the backing track and ‘vocalists’ are carrying you through a performance (which they were), surely you’re afforded more room to work the stage and the audience – something I’ve long expected from Minaj based on her charismatic nature. However her seeming inability to convey this in a live setting leaves yours truly wondering if her gift starts and stops in the studio. Just thinking out aloud…

Tidbit: Not hearing the best things about ‘Pink Friday’ either. Say it isn’t so….

Your thoughts?

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  1. drfenty November 19, 2010

  2. Kenudigme November 19, 2010

    im thinking the same damn thing….NOW this was better than her Wendy performance but still horrible especially when she goes for that long running NOTE…..its like ughhhh just when you thought it couldnt get worse than Rihanna. Where’s BEE when u need her????

  3. Becca November 19, 2010

    pink friday is a great album

    and dead @ fenty.

    rihanna DREAMS of being able to perform like this.

    stay mad.

  4. BEYONSLAY November 19, 2010

    ”not hearing the best about pink friday”

    what’s happened???

  5. GangsterA November 19, 2010

    she slayed i love it and she looks great and why are pepole try to discredit her pink friday is EPIC yes EPIC *play did it on’em*

  6. Minaj Security November 19, 2010

    I want to see some of u try rapping and singing at the same time. Its not as easy as it seems and Nicki Nails it.

    Nicki Minaj is a rapper, what do you guys want from her? She is not Be f***** yonce, so she wont be crawling all over the stage. Wat rapper does that? Shes not janet or michael Jackson so she doesn’t need to dance. What rapper does these days? I do agree she can work on commanding the stage a little more and showing a little more emotions but her stage set up (dancers, background) can be improved too. It will come with time. Other than that she killed this.

    Besides that note at the end, her vocals were on point, way better than some so called singers u people go crazy over and shes a RAPPER. So kill dat noise. I loved this performance. Def shows her growth. This song doesnt need all that extra s*** yall want from her.

  7. #YeahISaidIt November 19, 2010

    A rihflop stan should be the last to laugh at anyone’s performance cause child yours is worse, nicki is way way better tgan rihflop non selling albums ass

  8. Minaj Security November 19, 2010

    @kenudigme Beyonce is a singer and I have seen her lip synch so many times. Her track even skipped on her.

    Nicki is a rapper and shes killin da game right now better than the dudes. We loved this performance. Only u ingrates whose mad ur favorites are away had some clown s*** to say. #hatersneverprosper.

  9. Marcus November 19, 2010

    She can work the stage. She’s done it in past performances for other songs. It’s not like she doesn’t have any presence, but there’s not much she can do with this song? It’s not something to dance to or something that could use audience participation.

  10. Minaj Security November 19, 2010

    Oh and lauryn Hill had her share of bad performances. She even got booed off the stage before. Let us not forget her last string of performances. So lets stop trying to bash Nicki to make other people look good. Everybody has flaws.

    Nicki killed this, flaws and all. Im proud of her.

  11. Minaj Security November 19, 2010

    @marcus I think he probably means show more emotions with the song. Shes kinda of uptight, not really commanding the stage, not really letting loose like I kno she can but she did it better than the last one. Its a difference between club performances and Tv performances and its a transition process. She’ll get better and better and better just exactly how shes showing.

    And then to rap and sing, see how many people can nail it like Nicki is doing. On this one she let loose on her vocals. Her vocals were on point. I love the directions shes taking and her performances are still good even now. Imagine what theyll be like in the future. The mad people aint ready for that.

    Sometimes It takes a while for bums to appreciate greatness, but you’ll soon see. Trust me

  12. Minaj Security November 19, 2010

    Nickis singing voice is heavenly… U disagree.- F*** you!

  13. Sar November 19, 2010

    Ya needa STOP being sick riders, ya know for a FACT that performance was weak and boring just like her album!!! Lets be real ya’ll -_-

  14. drfenty November 19, 2010

    @ BEYONFLOP

    did i ask you to speak?

    stay monitoring my font. ➡

  15. BrooklynRaised November 19, 2010

    lmfaoooo @ the flat note she hit towards the end hahah. Sorry but that was funny as hell lmao. You guys defiantly need to keep it hunnit. Her album might sell but it didn’t meet any expectations and the reviews are horrible. I was a little disappointed. I might just buy her second album is she actually brings the heat.

  16. NICE TRY NIGGAAAAAAAA November 19, 2010

    WHY IS TRENT BEATING AROUND THE BUSH, JUST CAUSE SHES TRINIDADIAN ???

    YOU BEING BIASED AGAIN, ANOTHER THING THAT SHOWS JUST HOW UNEDUCATED AND CLASSLESSLY STUPID YOU ARE…

    THIS PERFORMANCE WAS A F****** FLAMING HOT ASS PILE OF HORSE DUNG….

    THE MIMING…

    THE FAILING ON THAT NOTE AT THE END……

    CRASH & BURN NICKI, CRASH & BURN….

  17. NICE TRY NIGGAAAAAAAA November 19, 2010

    & HER STAGE PRESENCE ?

    FAIL,

    EPIC FAIL.

  18. Mike November 19, 2010

    This song doesnt require stage antics and even the video is pretty simple. Not her usual over the top self.

    I like the idea of her standing behind a mic. It just gives the performance that sweet vibe and makes youlisten to what shes saying

  19. Thriller Killer November 19, 2010

    for her to be on so many songs he album should be better than what it is sorry she not going to sell well
    #Fact

  20. ms jazz November 19, 2010

    I actually like Nikki and will be buying the album, any-who, i woke up to my man watching her on Jay Leno 3 x’s and I was like you watched this 3x’s! you must like her?(I’m thinking aw thats cute he is a fan),,, but he was like I keep watching because I cant believe how she is just standing there while performing. And I was like she must be doing something right she got you coming back 3x’s already…. Lol

  21. Ld30 November 19, 2010

    I know I love me some Beyonce. and so does Kanye. But we wouldn’t bring her up in every convo we had! Why is she even mentioned? If Bey wanted to get on the stage and s*** in the middle of the floor, that’s her damn business, and she earned that right because she is so stellar as a performer and she has proved why ur favorites check on her their damn selves. This post is about a rookie who has created a buzz that may be larger than what she can deliver! It’s happened to the best of em. But whats a girl to do? Ride this s*** till the wheels fall of Nik! Get yours as soon as possible! She will make that classic album 4 sure. It’s just NOT pink Friday.

  22. Barbie November 19, 2010

    I love NICKI but she can’t sing! But when she raps she kills it!! She did a good job for the rap part!!
    Somebody said rap and sing is hard I can tell U it is not! especially when the song is not a fast one! I think she can get better on her singing but she just doesnt train her voice..she shouts and scream all the time etc… and it doesnt help her.
    I love her but I still dont know if I can buy ticket to go and see her live…
    She needs stage presence and imagination..Im not comparin her to be but when U see Bee flying during her shows its not because she wants to, it’s because she has to step her imagination skills.

    Nicki is gettin bigger and Bigger, She is thinking about a world tour. I hope that she doesnt expect to perform like she does now “rap and walk up and down the stage”. She is good for 30 mins performances but a real show is about 1h30 mins – 2 hours.she better step her game Up!

    She is great but she still lacks good performance skills.

  23. HAHA SLOW DOWN November 19, 2010

    #FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIL

    THIS IS SO BORING and the song is so WAAAAAACK!….and that album is TRASH…

    #SITDOWN

  24. Diane November 19, 2010

    Blame Diddy for not grooming her stage skills. Blame Young Money for allowing her to do all that damn singing. It’s obvious that Lil Wayne’s direction was missed. Pink Friday is not bad, but she sings way too much and there is not enough soulful beats. For example, on Blazin she delivers the first verse and Kanye delivers the second verse. The rest is her singing the chorus whereas she should have delivered another verse to end song. Waaaaaaaaay too much singing.

    Although, this Letterman performance is better than Wendy’s. I think the live band on Letterman added some umph to the performance.

  25. Diane November 19, 2010

    It does say something about the performance when Letterman asks about the dancers. Nicki sounds better here because she allowed the background singers to sing more of the hook. On Wendy, she tried to deliver the hook and it didn’t sound well.

    However, the performance is the typical setup with the brown-skinned girls being hired as background singers and the lighter-skinned girls being in the front. Hmmm. Just to think that many of Nicki’s fans are brown-skinned, yet she doesn’t represent them well. In addition, she should have produced more hues of her Pink Friday lipstick to complement the brown girls. (Just something I noticed.)

  26. C November 19, 2010

    shes standing still so she can “sing” she is a rapper after all

  27. Blair November 19, 2010

    decent performance for nicki…i just get mad that she sings the end in the same octave that i do….i sung bass in choir…

    @blairdevereaux

  28. FUTURESTARdelux November 19, 2010

    *YAAAAAAAAAAWN!*

  29. ~aMaZiNG.Lee~ November 19, 2010

    This b**** is SO whack live! Ugh! Really, Nicki? All those personalities, yet not one of them can convey a decent performer?

  30. daboss8791 November 19, 2010

    The reason Minaj is having so much trouble working the stage is she hasn’t been properly developed. The labels and managers these days don’t take the time or effort, or spend the money for that matter to make sure the acts they present us can actually deliver. It’s a disservice to the artists, because their ability to perform will have a large impact on their longevity in the music biz. Remember Ashanti, yeah, I don’t either.., but her career soon tanked after audiences tired of her shimmying across the stage.

    SPREAD DA WORD AT SPREADDAWORD.COM

  31. monique November 19, 2010

    yea she dosent move me in any type of way, i try to give her the benefit of the doubt but her music leaves me numb and not in a good way.

  32. Nichole November 19, 2010

    Pink Friday is a good CD! There isn’t one bad song on that album!

    Denise Hardy is earning money from home! Want to follow in her footsteps? Watch her new video now, to start making your own legitimate earnings.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dDkQPTAdUs

  33. luvmedj November 19, 2010

    Thought it was just me, I peeped the album and I’m just not diggin it. I do love her as an artist tho. The performance was BLAH didn’t even watch it all the way thru.

  34. DENIM November 19, 2010

    @MINAJ SECURITY IF SHE ISNT A SINGER SHE NEEDS NOT TO SING. (NO SHADE) IM JUST SAYING (IN MY JEEZY VOICE) DID SHE BUY THE SHORT SET IN EVERY COLOR? SHE SOUND AWFUL SHE LOOKED A TRAIN WRECK BUT HER MAKE UP WAS CUTE (BBM SMILE FACE) SHE NEEDS TO STICK TO WHAT SHES GOOD..I DONT EVEN THINK SHES THAT GOOD AT THAT!!!!

  35. sarare November 19, 2010

    oh my lady gaga…I love this , So does My boyfriend .he is almost­ 11year older than me .i met him via agegap love­ “.c`o`m` a nice place for seeking age le ss love.which­ gives you a chance to make your life better and open­ opportunities for you to meet the attractive young­ girls and treat you like a king. Maybe you wanna check­ it out or tell your friends.. Just love it

  36. X,Y,”and Z” November 19, 2010

    Nicki will replace Rihanna! After 5-years of… rubbish; comes-time for something new – out with the old, and now-revealed dysfunctional – in with the new, refreshing and BY-FAR-MORE TALENTED, WORTHY AND REFINED…!!

    X,Y,”and Z” — OUT…!!!

  37. the kiddz November 19, 2010

    @Amazing.Lee

    “All those personalities, yet not one of them can convey a decent performer?”

    LMAO!

  38. JAYLA November 19, 2010

    IT WILL DEFINITELY SELL WELL, YALL SOUND REAL YOUNG AND DUMB! IF SHE NOT SPITTING ALL THAT CRAZY S*** THEN YALL NOT INTERESTED, DUMB B******…

  39. JAYLA November 19, 2010

    AND PERFORMANCES DOES NOT SELL RECORDS! WHO GIVES A S*** ABOUT ALL OF THAT EXCEPT GAYS?! RAPPERS DONT SELL RECORDS BASED ON PERFORMANCES.. YALL STUPID

  40. MUSIC LOVER November 19, 2010

    She is a rapper not a singer! She has A LOT to learn! But I think everyone knows she is going to outsell Rihanna’s “Loud.”

  41. NICK November 19, 2010

    i think it was cute….

  42. B~Real November 19, 2010

    I luv Nicki but I need for her not to try and hit notes live lol…..

  43. BritniJae November 19, 2010

    she needs to take to a choreographer, and learn some stage presence. other than that ; she did an ok job. . .

  44. DION-ISH November 19, 2010

    WHAT IN TH LIVING F** WAS THAT?!

    I Literally Laughed out Loud when i saw this performance and was literally on the floor when she did the long note at the end…I Cant Lord Jesus!

    Yes Yes Rapping is her BEST forte and i like her soooo no shade or anything…

  45. ValleyBoi November 20, 2010

    I HATE WHEN THE KIDS TALK ABOUT “PINK FRIDAY”…..HALF OF YA’LL H*** AIN’T GONNA BUY THE ALBUM ANYWAY…SMH

  46. yestank November 20, 2010

    agree w daboss8791

    and those dancers :/

  47. Minaj Security November 20, 2010

    @denim she can do wat da f** she wants. Point is she CAN sing. Some of you just dont kno s*** about it. Most of her fans perfer she sings more anyway cuz her voice is nice. People dat didnt even know Nicki could sing are saying “Nicki can actually sing!” after this performance and wendys alone. Imagine her future.

    The only shaky note u heard was the one towards the end. Other than that u cant say a damn thing about her vocals. So wat I have heard lots of real singing vets mess up on a note in a live performance. Its called being a human being.

    Nicki is one of the best. Thats why the best give her so many props. Some of u just dont kno s*** about rap and cant understand her clever wordplay, witty punchlines, and beastly metaphors. Get a job h***. Being a rap/ singing critique is not for u bums. TRY AGAIN!

    “Nicki Minaj is who you aint f****** wit!”- Romans Revenge

  48. LJ November 20, 2010

    i think artist have to take into ************CONSIDERATION, IF YOUR NOT A HUGE SINGLE SELLER YOUR MAY WANNA, ADD A LITTLE MORE LIFE TO YOUR PERFORMANCES.((((((((((( U CANT JUST STAND THERE))))))))))))) UNLESS YOUR AN ARTIST THAT CAN STAND THERE, LOL.
    i MEAN IF THE SINGLES WERE POPPIN, THATS COOL. WELL SHE LOOKS, GREAT BOB, BACK TO YOU CINDY!

  49. lolo November 22, 2010

    This chick had the nerve to agree to the Lauryn Hill comparison and she even said her album is similar to the Miseducation. Her music is garbage at best (98 percent looks, 2 percent talent). Lauryn was charismatic; entertaining without sounding corny, intellectual, visionary, thinking outside of the box, far ahead of her time, far superior than her peers and very musical, that is why no other artist that came after her managed to surpass anything she has ever done musically. Nikki does not possess any of these qualities; she has an ego and does not respect her predecessors). Nikki will never make an impact or be respected like Lauryn, her uneducated fans can hate me all they want but truth is truth.

    One thing for sure she wont see Lauryn Hill’s numbers

    The Fugees Score – Over 22 million sold worldwide still the best selling hip hop album in history

    The Miseducation – Over 22 million sold worldwide still the best selling rnb album in the last decade (beating both Beyonce and Alicia Keys first solo projects)

    The Unplugged – Over 4 million sold without any heavy promotion and marketing, (How many black artists today (mainstream) can sell close to the level of the Unplugged?)

    LAURYN HILL DID THESE NUMBERS WITHOUT BEING OVER EXPOSED OR A FEATURE ARTIST FOR MAINSTREAM ARTISTS. YOU HAVE TO CREATE TIMELESS MUSIC AND CLASSICS THAN BE ALL OVER THE POP CHARTS IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED GREAT.

  50. harrybaxter December 7, 2010

    so this is what will.i.am meant by niggerific huh?

    srsly if you’re a rapper DON’T SING. RAP YOU F****** MORONS

    JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN SOUND DECENT IN A STUDIO WITH SOME AUTOTUNE ON DOESN’T MEAN ANYONE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR ISH LIVE

    OH YEAH BY THE WAY, THE RECORD EXECS AND PRODUCERS MAKE WAY MORE MONEY FROM RECORD SALES THAN THE ARTISTS DO.

    ARTISTS MAKE MOST OF THEIR MONEY FROM PROMOTIONS AND CONCERTS WHICH MEANS? PERFORMING LIVE. THERE! I ANSWERED IT FOR ALL YOU MINAJ ASS LICKERS BECAUSE MOST OF YOU ARE A WASTE OF SPACE INCAPABLE OF CRITICAL THOUGHT.

    YOU FUCKERS ARE THE DEATH OF HIP-HOP

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