Nicki Minaj Accused of Using Nazi Imagery in Video for ‘Only’
It certainly does look familiar.
Nicki Minaj isn't the first musician to embrace the Nazi aesthetic (David Bowie, cough), but we're hoping she's the last. With its SS-style armbands, gas masks, tanks, and Maus-style armies at attention, the video for Minaj's new single "Only" certainly seems to be going for a Third Reich aesthetic. Unsurprisingly, some fans are calling for her to take the video down.
First, here's the video:
And here are the criticisms:
hey @NICKIMINAJ thanks for the blatant nazi imagery in your new video! really great allusion to persecution &genocide pic.twitter.com/prjM58hhMQ
— Melissa Morgan (@melissamorgs) November 8, 2014@NICKIMINAJ i <3 you. but making a nazi themed video, w/yourself as a sexy Hitler & your initials looking like a swastika? disrespectful :(
— Troye Sivan (@troyesivan) November 8, 2014yoooooooooooooooooo I finally saw that nicki minaj video & well... maybe don't use nazi-inspired imagery to show what a big deal you are
— IT'S YA BOY SHRILL (@ShrillCosby) November 8, 2014Nicki has a lyric video that evokes Nazi themes/imagery? Think the most offensive part is you guys watched a Nicki Minaj video for lyrics.
— Ol' QWERTY Bastard (@TheDiLLon1) November 9, 2014why did nicki use nazi propaganda in the only video??? why would she wanna be comparing herself to hitler?? @NICKIMINAJ U let us down :(
— abbey (@aliengrrrI) November 8, 2014You get the idea. Neither Minaj nor the video's director, Jeff Osborne (who also did a lyric video for "Anaconda"), has responded to the criticism, but Osborne has been retweeting it.