Nicki Minaj is making quite a controversy on her latest lyric video for "Only" as she has used Nazi Imagery and portrayed herself as a Nazi Super Hero.
The song features Chris Brown, Drake and Lil Wayne and the video includes the Anti-Defamation League -- consider offensive and representation of Nazism.
According to the statement release by director, visual artist Jeff Osbourne in MySpace he wrote:
"First, I'm not apologizing for my work, nor will I dodge the immediate question. The flags, armbands, and gas mask (and perhaps my use of symmetry?) are all representative of Nazism."
"But a majority of the recognizable models/symbols are American: MQ9 Reaper Drone, F22 Raptor, Sidewinder missile, security cameras, M60, SWAT uniform, General's uniform, the Supreme court, and the Lincoln Memorial. What's also American is the 1st Amendment, which I've unexpectedly succeeded in showing how we willfully squeeze ourselves out of that right every day."
On the other hand, Minaj replied to the accusations thrown at her via Twitter. She wrote "The artist who made the video for 'Only' was influenced by a cartoon on Cartoon Network called Metalocalypse and [the non-Cartoon Network-affiliated movie and graphic novel] Sin City."
"Both the producer and person in charge of overseeing the lyric video (one of my best friends and videographer: A. Loucas), happen to be Jewish. I didn't come up with the concept, but I'm very sorry and take full responsibility if it has offended anyone. I'd never condone Nazism in my art."
But Holocaust survivor Abraham H. Foxman was not happy with the video even calling it "a new low for pop culture's exploitation of Nazi symbolism."
He said "It is troubling that no one among Minaj's group of producers, publicists and managers raised a red flag about the use of such imagery before ushering the video into public release."
"his video is insensitive to Holocaust survivors and a trivialization of the history of that era. The abuse of Nazi imagery is deeply disturbing and offensive to Jews and all those who can recall the sacrifices Americans and many others had to make as a result of Hitler's Nazi juggernaut."
