The 54th Grammy Awards started on a more dismal note than usual. With Whitney Houston’s death just the day before, the show was revamped in her honor. Jennifer Hudson’s touching rendition of “I Will Always Love You”was an appropriate tribute for the deceased singer. Soon after this song, Nicki Minaj took the stage in such a way that I temporarily forgot about Hudson’s beautiful performance.
Minaj is the first female rapper to performance solo at the Grammy Awards. She is a talented artist, who not only raps, but does so in a plethora of voices. According to Minaj, these different voices represent different characters. Some of her most well known alter egos are Barbie, Onika, Roman, and Martha.
The rapper arrived at the award show dressed in an outlandish red outfit with her date dressed up like the Pope. When it came time for Minaj’s performance, a prerecorded clip showed the Pope trying to confront a possessed “boy” named Roman. Minaj, who was dressed no differently than usual, played Roman. With the help of some special effects, the rapper raced around the room as if out of “The Exorcist.”
This performance marked the debut of her song “Roman Holiday” and has since elicited many negative responses. Minaj appears to be exorcised on stage, to which the Catholic League responded with a statement that called the singer “foolish” and “vulgar.” It is indeed a bizarre spectacle, accompanied by a song that provides little of what Minaj’s fans are used to—there is not much rapping and the content is definitely heavier than her other tracks, like “Super Bass” which focuses more on boys problems than religion perils.
Before this performance, the tabloids compared Minaj to Lil Kim, which induced much bickering between the women. However, after her latest production, Minaj has been raised to the likes of Lady Gaga. With all the success that Gaga has seen over the past couple of years, perhaps stirring up controversy is the perfect way for Minaj to continue rising to the top of the charts.