NICKI MINAJ: Defends Collaborator Against “Blackfishing” Allegations

Nicki Minaj is defending one of her collaborators against “blackfishing” allegations. 

Jesy Nelson, formerly of Little Mix,has been at the center of controversy after some have accused her of pretending to be Black or mixed-race. In Nelson’s new video for “Boyz,” which samples Diddy’s “Bad Boy for Life,” she wears wigs and braids, basketball shorts and gold teeth, and sings about wanting a boy who is “so hood.” While some critics say she’s relying on stereotypes, Nicki, who is featured on the track, advises her not to listen to the haters.

Nicki says, “Y’all gotta stop… If you know someone has been suicidal from bullying in the past, why try to get a bunch of people to bully them again about something else?” Nicki and Jesy also talked about the issue on an Instagram Live chat. Jesy said she was “in a group with two women of color for nine years” and the topic never came up. When she mentioned getting messages from her ex-bandmates, Barbie offered up some wisdom, saying people should “focus on your own energy.”