If there’s one thing I learned working in pop culture journalism, it’s that it is generally a good idea to not bash people you’re working with, especially if they happen to be headlining a massive music festival you’re working on. Unless you’re Peter Rosenberg, in which case this somehow becomes THE BEST IDEA. That’s really the only explanation I can think as to why he would go onstage, bash headliner Nicki Minaj, then just expect everything to go smoothly from there. EW reports on how that was so not the case:
It all started when Hot 97 DJ and Hip-Hop Squares host Peter Rosenberg threw down “Starships,” on the current single from Minaj’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, while introducing rapper Kendrick Lamar. “We’re all about that real hip-hop,” he told the crowd. “I know there are some chicks in here waiting to sing along with ‘Starships’ later. I’m not talking to y’all right now. F— that bulls—.”
Lil’ Wayne, who heads up Minaj’s Young Money label, jumped on Twitter to announce “Young Money ain’t doing summer jam.” Minaj immediately backed him up: “The President has spoken,” she said on Twitter. “I go above and beyond for my fans. But won’t ever go against wayne’s word. What he says, goes.”
For his part, Rosenberg stuck to his guns. “Last night I said nothing different than I have ever said,” Rosenberg wrote this morning on Twitter. “It was not a personal dis. It was starships is s—. WHICH WE ALL KNOW IS TRUE.” During the festival, legendary Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex also co-signed his colleague’s dismissal of “Starships.” “We don’t f— with commercial artists no more,” he told the crowd. “We don’t give a s— if you commercial or pop and you afraid to touch down in Jersey.”
A lot of people are going after Nicki and Lil’ Wayne for not appearing, but honestly, what did they expect? The organizer publicly bashed her song in front of everyone there. You cannot do that. And I mean yes, Starships isn’t exactly hardcore, but for what it is (pop, nothing more or less) it’s actually decent enough and catchy. So yeah, Nicki dropping out at the last minute wasn’t a huge surprise.
About Jeremy Feist
