In what has seen the culture billed as narrow minded, Hip Hop’s response to Nicki Minaj’s ascent to Pop stardom has been ‘harsh’ to say the least.
Labelled a sell out following the success of her quadruple platinum single ‘Super Bass’ and the 5x platinum ‘Starships‘, the Rapper recently faced threats by Hot 97 staple ‘Funkmaster Flex’ who threatened to ‘tear her down’ after mocking the sales of her now platinum sophomore album.
Now, ‘The Voice‘s Will.i.am has spoken out her in defense, urging her to ‘Fxxx Hip Hop‘.
Full story below…
Speaking to Vibe Magazine, he explained:
I’m proud of Nicki.
Hip-Hop was broadening itself in the ‘90s.
You had A Tribe Called Quest and Death Row…you had Lauryn Hill singing and rapping. You had Too Short, Outkast, Nas and the Roots. Hip-Hop was broadening itself.
Now hip-hop is limiting itself. If hip-hop is going to continue to limit people I say ‘Fuck hip-hop.’ It’s like the most unhealthiest community.
No lies were told here.
Though it may hurt to admit it, it does have to be said… Hip Hop can at times be a little stoic in its perception of success.
For, while a blind eye is turned to the legal woes of many of its staples, it’s the law abiding Nicki Minaj that comes under fire from embracing a genre she has always toyed with.
Perhaps Hip Hop’s biggest issue with Ms.Minaj is that she unashamedly ‘organized’ in a genre which thrives on chaos, long lasting feuds and superficial wealth.
A culture, which believes to be ‘real’ is to stick to one genre for one’s entire career, even at the expense of one’s brand and creative growth.
A culture, which applauds Lil Kim for ‘taking one for Hip Hop‘ but will blast and belittle Nicki Minaj for being the first Female MC to land her own set at the Grammy awards.
So, what do you think?