as some of you may know, nicki minaj recently released a lyric video for her single “only” featuring drake, lil wayne, and chris brown (which can be found here). upon watching this video, it becomes disturbingly obvious that the imagery is uncannily reminiscent of the nazi regime, especially during the holocaust. on the left are the images from nicki’s video, and on the right are actual images from/relating to the nazism during the holocaust.
although there has been some buzz about this video, it is not nearly enough. i have seen various people making excuses, saying that she was only trying to portray a dictatorship — understandable, but the imagery used was certainly not appropriate or necessary. there is a way to portray power and dictatorship without using the holocaust. it is extremely problematic and offensive, no matter which way you look at it. a young money symbol that is blatantly supposed to look like a swastika? uniforms that resemble those of the SS (nazi police)? these images are completely disgusting and certainly not appropriate for nicki (or drake, lil wayne, and chris brown) to use.
in no way, shape, or form am i hating on nicki; i’ve been a fan of hers for awhile, but that doesn’t mean her problematic behavior should be excused. don’t let this go without an apology. nicki needs to be aware of the fact that this video is wrong and has already offended a large amount of people. tweet her, comment on the video, let her know that she made a mistake. there is no need to bash her, but there is a need to be a critical fan.
IT IS NOT JUST ANTISEMITISM HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES DO RROMANI PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY THIS? 2 million Rromani people died in the holocaust, along with millions of disabled folks, LGBTQIA folks, and other people of color. I am so sick of seeing people on my dash erasing my family and millions of other people who were murdered by Nazis. And this isn’t just in regards to this video; this happens time and time again, even in official government discussions of the holocaust. My people are not some footnote.
