Nicki Minaj: When does being different become unoriginal?

Nicki Minaj's new video for Massive Attack has just been released. With her neon colored wigs, bare-all outfits and flamboyant personality, the video is quite an event to watch. Vibe magazine has recently dubbed her along with Drake the new "Royalty" of hip-hop. She has yet to hit mainstream yet, though she has done a collaboration with Mariah Carey for her song "Up Out My Face."
The video might seem familiar to you, think back to Lil' Kim in her heyday. "Crush On You," and her revealing red carpet outfits along with her personality all remind you Lil' Kim. She also takes some cues from Kelis and Lady Gaga in the style department. Here's the video and the rest of the article is below.


Once you think about it, is anybody original anymore? Lady Gaga with Madonna, Goldfrap with Cyndi Laupher, Trey Songz with R. Kelly, Beyonce with Tina Turner, etc...nobody is original anymore. However, what if it is a malicious attempt and would you consider this a blatant rip off of Lil Kim. Did she cross the line between being different out of creativity and with a message or being different just because it is the hot thing to do now? Had this been another time and period, such as the height of female rap domination in the late 90s and early 00s, would this had still been her image as an artist? You be the judge.

Share
|