‘Va Va Voom’ vixen Nicki Minaj saw her name zoom right to the top of the Anti-Defamation League’s hitlist after her latest lyric video ‘Only’ hit the net recently.
Assisted by Chris Brown and fellow Young Money crew members Drake and Lil Wayne, the visual instantly came under fire after fans likened its imagery to Nazi themes. The uproar prompted Abraham Foxman, the League’s director and Holocaust survivor himself, to issue a statement on the group’s behalf:
Nicki Minaj’s new video disturbingly evokes Third Reich propaganda and constitutes a new low for pop culture’s exploitation of Nazi symbolism. The irony should be lost on no one that this video debuted on the 76th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the “night of broken glass” pogrom that signaled the beginning of the Final Solution and the Holocaust.
This video is insensitive to Holocaust survivors and a trivialization of the history of that era. The abuse of Nazi imagery is deeply disturbing and offensive to Jews and all those who can recall the sacrifices Americans and many others had to make as a result of Hitler’s Nazi juggernaut.“
Their outcry did not fall on deaf ears. Just in time for Veteran’s Day, find out what Minaj had to say in response below:
Via Nicki Minaj’s Twitter:
The video’s director, Jeff Osborne, is singing a different tune. Read his full statement below:
“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.
But a majority of the recognizable models/symbols are American: MQ9 Reaper Drone, F22 Raptor, Sidewinder missile, security cameras, M60, SWAT uniform, General’s uniform, the Supreme court, and the Lincoln Memorial. What’s also American is the 1st Amendment, which I’ve unexpectedly succeeded in showing how we willfully squeeze ourselves out of that right every day.
Despite the fact heavy religious and economic themes were glossed over, there’s also Russian T-90 tanks, Belgian FN FAL, German mp5 (not manufactured until 1966), an Italian Ferrari, and a Vatican Pope.
As far as an explanation, I think its 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?”