So last night, Nicki Minaj put together a Grammys performance for her new song Roman Holiday that featured her being exorcised along with a bunch of priests and alter boys and a Pope because why the hell not? Let’s throw that guy in there. Anyway, this pissed off the Catholic League, which isn’t really all that surprising when you remember that 99% of what Bill Donahue does involves seeing science and common sense contradict his weird little superstitions and then shouting and screaming and stomping on the ground until someone apologizes for being right.
Nicki Minaj, fresh off looking like a fool with Madonna at the Super Bowl, showed up last night on the red carpet at the Grammys with a guy dressed like the pope. This was just a prelude of what was to come.
Minaj’s performance began on stage with a mock confessional skit. This was followed by a taped video depicting a mock exorcism. With stained glass in the background, she appeared on stage again with choir boys and monks dancing.
Perhaps the most vulgar part was the sexual statement that showed a scantily clad female dancer stretching backwards while an altar boy knelt between her legs in prayer. Finally, Come All Ye Faithful was sung while a man posing as a bishop walked on stage; Minaj was shown levitating.
None of this was by accident, and all of it was approved by The Recording Academy, which puts on the Grammys. Whether Minaj is possessed is surely an open question, but what is not in doubt is the irresponsibility of The Recording Academy. Never would they allow an artist to insult Judaism or Islam.
Oh listen to her. Look, I grew up an Irish Catholic, and in all honesty, I don’t think Nicki’s performance was bad at all. I mean honestly, if you’re so paranoid about your own belief system that one rap performance will have you up in arms about how you and your all-powerful deity are under attack, then maybe you don’t really believe in your religion as much as you think you do.
