I have a morning TV routine that includes Live with Kelly and Michael, ESPN's First Take and The View. Today as I was watching the latter, I had no idea that Nicki Minaj would be on the show so I inadvertently stayed tuned for her entire interview.
She was a guest on the same day that gold-medal gymnast Gabrielle Douglas was co-host for the day, so I was eager to see how she would conduct herself in the presence of one of her young fans.
I'm not a fan of Nicki Minaj but she was surprisingly dressed down and not in her usual outrageous wardrobe. She wore a military-style hat, blazer and midriff-bearing top. When asked about her outfit and whether she should cover up for her young fans (as young as five and six years old), she said that she wouldn't because:
"Five and six year olds need to be parented by their parents. I'm not their parent."
I was glad that she said this because I always wanted to ask her about having young fans but being a rapper that has to also appeal to the core rap demographic; black men. I wanted her to take a stance and put how she felt about the topic out there. While I agree with her in principle, I still think that, whether she wants to or not, she has a responsibility to be a role model because she does have a lot of young fans. SIDENOTE: I don't think she is the best role model for young girls because her songs go from inspirational ("Fly" and "Moment for Life") to RATCHET ("Stupid Hoe").
One of my BIGGEST criticisms of Nicki Minaj has been that I felt she didn't acknowledge the fact that she has a HUGE influence on young girls. From her hair to the way she dresses to her songs, she has a lot of fans who adore her (she calls her "Barbz") and so she should take a little responsibility for the fans that hang on her every word.
I'm BAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!! (Did you miss me?) I've been busy working on other projects but I will be having weekly posts again so stay tuned...
~Elle Shanice~ NOTE: I do not condone domestic violence against a woman or man, alleged or proven.
It's no secret that celebrities link up and date for publicity purposes, and the latest example of this is the crash and burn relationship of reality star Evelyn Lozada and former NFL wide receiver Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson.
The now-divorced couple met on Twitter, had several dates broadcast on Lozada's show Basketball Wives, dated for less than a year, got married and had a domestic violence incident where Johnson "allegedly" head-butted her after she confronted him about a receipt that she found for condoms. That caused Lozada to file for divorce, Johnson was subsequently released from the Miami Dolphins, their upcoming reality show was CANCELLED. The divorce was finalized last week, ending their marriage after only 41 days and breaking the seemingly-unbreakable record of 72 days by Kim Kardashian and ex-husband Kris Humphries.
This marriage was doomed from the start: I knew from the beginning that this was a publicity stunt because both of them are media hungry and thirsty for fame. Evelyn (who I call "EVILyn") has become famous for being the ex-fiance of Antoine Walker, but made more of an impact on the show by being a "THUG among women" (as Iyanla Vanzant so eloquently put it). She has been seen throwing drinks, bottles, and expletives at many of her fellow cast mates. Many of the buzz worthy moments from the show involve her in an altercation with either Tami, Jennifer, Meka, etc.
Not to mention the fact that Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson is one of the most outspoken & media hungry players to EVER play in the NFL. Whether at press conferences, on Dancing With the Stars, during elaborate touchdown celebrations, or even appearing on Basketball Wives or The Game, he has always been starving for attention. Why do you think he legally changed his name to "Ochocinco"? He also had a dating show that was on the SAME network as Evelyn's show (Vh1) where he took 64 girls & put them in a bracket like the NCAA tournament (he also had a sports show w/ Terrell Owens).
After the altercation, Evelyn was seen on several media outlets getting her side of the story out. She even appeared on OWN's new show, Iyanla: Fix My Life, which brought ratings records to the network. If you watch Basketball Wives, you know that she has "daddy issue" that she discussed on the show and that Iyanla brought up as well. She discussed her past relationships and how she was willing to put up with anything to feel loved.
My question is: Was this KARMA for Evelyn? It's like she's getting a taste of her own medicine after treating people like that on her show. Even her 10+-year relationship with cast mate Jennifer Williams became strained after Williams gave her opinion on her relationship with Johnson.
She said that when she found the receipt for the condoms and confronted him, he head butted her and that was the last straw. However, it's hard to make the argument that you're upset that he bought condoms when you told him to in lieu of cheating on you and not telling you (see video below).
