The firestorm surrounding Nicki Minaj’s vengeful decision to drop out of last Sunday’s Hot 97 Summer Jam has only increased in the following days.
After Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg slammed Minaj’s latest single “Starships” as “not real hip hop,” the rapper cancelled her scheduled appearance just hours before the fest. On orders from Young Money honcho Lil Wayne, the rest of the label’s roster, including Busta Rhymes and DJ Khaled, also withdrew from the event.
Minaj took to the airwaves to explain her side of the story. In a lengthy interview with legendary radio DJ Funkmaster Flex, she said, “Wayne gave me a very, very valuable lesson last night on knowing my worth. After that disrespect, I still was going on that stage. And you know what? Shame on me. Lil Wayne gave me a valuable lesson on self-worth.” She also alleges that Rosenberg’s comments were rooted in sexism.
Rosenberg explained his position on Tuesday. “I need it be clear. I gave an opinion on a song,” he said on his show. “And Nicki Minaj and Young Money decided to skip Summer Jam. Because of an opinion, not a personal attack, nothing derogatory because she”s a woman. That”s why music is so mediocre nowadays, because no one can give opinions. If you give an opinion, cats hate you, their crew skips your concert, they diss you on Twitter, their boyfriends threaten to punch you in the face.”
He added, “Regardless of whether the time was good or not, the fact that she then pulled out and Young Money pulled out, means I will never apologize for that. Never.”
The beef is on.
You can hear the entire Nicki Minaj-Funkmaster Flex interview here: