NEWS: Last week’s Summer Jam concert at MetLife Stadium will be best known for the war of words that occurred prior to the show and afterwards rather than for any actual performances that took place that night. The battle consisted of Peter Rosenberg versus Nicki Minaj, Funkmaster Flex versus Nicki Minaj, and then Nicki Minaj versus sexism in America. It all began when Peter Rosenberg – a morning show co-host – called out Minaj as he was introducing an artist for the pre-show festival.
“I know there’s some chicks here waiting to sing ‘Starships’ later, I’m not talking to y’all right now, fuck that bullshit,” said Rosenberg from the small stage in the parking lot. “I’m here to talk about real hip-hop shit. “People are here to see A$AP Rocky today. People are here to see Schoolboy Q on this stage. That’s that shit I represent.”
Once Lil Wayne got wind of the statement he tweeted to fans that “Young Money ain’t doing Summer Jam.” As a result Funkmaster Flex fired subliminal shots at Minaj during the main event stating, “I ain’t fuckin’ with commercial rappers anymore. If you lost the fuckin’ streets, that’s your fault. I’m dedicated to tearing you down.”
Flex and Minaj tried to air out their differences the next day via a phone call to Hot 97 (WQHT, 97.1 FM) but after talking over one another for an hour issues were still left unresolved. Flex said that she let fans down by not performing but Minaj defended her boss’s decision and even went on to imply that Rosenberg disrespected her because she was a woman.
“If that’s not some bitch-ass s**t – for this person to single out the only female on the bill, I’m holding it down for women,” said Minaj in her one on one with Flex. “I respect men who are real men, but if all you do is take shots at women…”
Since then Minaj visited Hot 97’s competitor Power 105 FM to tell her side of the story, while Rosenberg called “TMZ” to give his point of view in the midst of people calling for him to be fired.
THE TRUTH: Besides bringing out Young Money artists, Minaj was going to have special guests during her live set that included Beanie Man, Cam’ron, Foxy Brown, Nas and Lauryn Hill. Nas and Lauryn still performed at Summer Jam. Even though Lil Wayne said Young Money wouldn’t take part in the show, Tyga did perform.
During her interview with Flex, Minaj asked for an apology from Rosenberg but after her hypeman /boyfriend Safaree went on Twitter threatening to punch him in the face when he sees him that is not going to happen.
Hot 97’s Program Director, Ebro Darden confirmed that he reached out to Lil Wayne by phone after his tweet and they were still unable to agree to terms which resulted in Ebro hanging up the phone on him. He also admitted that Wayne’s issues were Hot 97 were nothing new. In the liner notes of the Carter, Lil Wayne wrote “Fuck Hot 97.” Everyone has chimed in on this issue with Lauryn Hill respecting Minaj’s decision not to perform while Dr. Dre called it a selfish move that “ruined 55,000 fans’ expectations of the night.”
Nicki Minaj’s latest LP, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded” was released to mixed reviews on April 3 and was certified gold (500.000 copies sold) on June 6. As of February 2012, her debut album “Pink Friday” has sold more than 1.7 million copies in the United States.
Fans calling for Rosenberg’s termination may not be aware of his track record. Besides being an on-air personality at Hot 97, he is also the creator and host of an innovative live-interview series called “Noisemakers” where he talks with the likes of Diddy, Nas, Raekwon, Q-Tip, DJ Premier, and Pete Rock to discuss the highlights of their career. No one else has been able to get an intimate sitdown with the architects of classic rap. He also happens to be the host of MTV’s “Hip Hop Squares” and a regular fixture on MTV’s “Guy Code.”
Nicki Minaj says she will make it up to her fans in attendance by providing them with a free concert in New York by summer’s end. On Hot 97’s playlist Young Money artists are currently featured on 8 of the Top 30 songs.
Mymood says:
Thank you for this post.