S. Samuel
Less than 24 hours after video footage of Nicki Minaj exploding on fellow "American Idol" panelist Mariah Carey hit the Internet, new reports claim the R&B diva fired the first shots.
According to new reports, Carey pushed Nicki to the point of retaliation.
Mariah Carey fired the first shots in her “American Idol” war with Nicki Minaj … calling the rapper a “bitch” multiple times … this according to sources close to Minaj. According to our sources, Nicki is adamant … in the moments before the TMZ video begins, Mariah repeatedly berated her … until Nicki finally had enough and exploded. We’re told … Nicki feels Mariah has been wasting everyone’s time by constantly praising herself instead of focusing her energy on critiquing the contestants. One source tells us, “She keeps bringing up how many records she’s sold, name dropping people she’s worked with, how many tours she’s done, and how many Grammys or awards she’s won … Nicki is tired of it.” (TMZ)
Video footage of Minaj’s outburst heated up the Internet last night.
Nicki Minaj derailed the “American Idol” auditions in Charlotte, North Carolina today, after swearing at Mariah Carey and threatening, “I’m gonna knock you out” … sources tell TMZ. In the footage, obtained by TMZ, Nicki is clearly furious … shouting, “I told them, I’m not f*ckin’ putting up with her f*ckin’ highness over there.” Sources say Nicki later threatened to “knock out” Mariah … but that part wasn’t captured on tape. It all went down while the two were sitting at the judge’s table … with Keith Urban sitting in between them and Randy Jackson sitting on the far end, next to Mariah. (TMZ)
Around mid-September, Carey denied having any issues with the animated emcee.
MTV News paid a visit to the “Idol” set at Lincoln Center on Monday (September 17), and the judges — including Minaj and Carey — were all smiles, immediately putting to rest tales of bad blood between the two. “How are we gonna feud in two days? A feud takes a little longer to spread out [than that],” Mariah responded, laughing, when asked if she and the YMCMB rapper were seeing eye-to-eye. “It’s fun, it’s music, it’s singing, it’s laughter,” she added, while Minaj chuckled along with her, looking amused at the beef rumors. (MTV)
Ms. Minaj landed her new television gig just days prior to Carey’s remarks.
The “American Idol” judges’ panel is now complete with the naming of singer-rapper Nicki Minaj and country crooner Keith Urban. The Fox network officially tapped the pair with an announcement Sunday, confirming rumors surrounding them both just hours before the first round of auditions for next season was due to begin in New York. Minaj is getting $12 million for a one-year deal on the hit Fox singing series, a person in the music industry with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the deal. (Wall Street Journal)
