Nicki Minaj Stands Up Summer Jam After DJ Rosenberg Disses Her Hit 'Starships'
Nicki Minaj has burst onto the rap scene as one of the most controversial new artists, racking up hit singles but causing an ongoing controversy about what many listeners say is her overwhelming lack of musical ability.
And on Sunday, DJ Peter Rosenberg, co-host of Hot 97's morning show, took the stage at Summer Jam 2012 and made remarks that did not sit well with the Minaj camp.
"I see the real hip-hop heads sprinkled in here. I see them," Rosenberg said, according to Bossip.com. "I know there are some chicks here waiting to sing 'Starships' later. I'm not talking to y'all right now. F*** that bulls***. Bulls***. I'm here to talk about real hip-hop s***."
"Starships" is a poppy hit song by Nicki Minaj featuring her trademark blend of nasal rapping and over-production
Nicki Minaj was supposed to headline the show on Sunday, but after Rosenberg's remarks, Lil' Wayne, the head of Minaj's Young Money label, decided that wasn't going to happen.
"Young Money ain't doing Summer Jam," he tweeted shortly after 5:30 Sunday, to the disappointment of thousands of Nicki Minaj fans who had gathered to see her.
The announcement was highly unexpected, as Nicki Minaj had tweeted about the show earlier that day.
"History will be made @ Hot97 Summer Jam tonight. I really hope you're there to witness it," she tweeted.
It was not the first time Weezy had cancelled a show and let down fans over a minor incident. An old YouTube clip many hip-hop heads likely remember shows Lil' Wayne refusing to continue performing after an audience member throws something at him during one of his shows.
Oddly enough, Tyga, a fellow labelmate of Nicki Minaj and Lil' Wayne, still ended up on stage despite the fact that Lil' Wayne had withdrawn all Young Money artists from the billing at the last second.
Tyga said he "would have been in full support of Nicki/Wayne and YMCMB if we got the word prior," but that he did not hear about Weezy's decision until too late.
The message from Nicki Minaj and Lil' Wayne to DJ Rosenberg, Hot 97 and anyone else who may share a stage with them: Don't even think about insulting them, or you may end up with a lot of disappointed fans.