Nicki Minaj has called out the Grammys, suggesting the reason she is yet to be recognised by the Music Academy is because of a dispute with one of its producers.
Nine years on from the release of her debut studio album Pink Friday, Nicki is still to receive a Grammy, though she has been nominated on multiple occasions, including a Best New Artist nod in 2012.
However, despite her long career in music, Nicki is yet to actually take home a Grammy, and when a fan pointed this out after this year’s ceremony, the rapper suggested she’d been snubbed deliberately due to an ongoing dispute with producers, which she’d been “bullied” into staying quiet about.
Referencing her friend Ariana Grande’s recent row with one of the event’s organisers, she told one fan, who asked “which white man from the boards she pissed off”: “I pissed off the same man Ariana just called out for lying. Grammy producer KEN.
“I was bullied into staying quiet for 7 years out of fear. But I’ll tell my fans the REAL on the next episode of #QueenRadio they deserve the truth.”
In the last seven years, Nicki has only performed once at the Grammys, back in 2012, where she gave a shocking performance of her songs Roman Reloaded and Roman Holiday, interspersed with I Feel Pretty from West Side Story, which was heavily inspired by the film The Exorcist.
She also raised eyebrows when she walked the red carpet alongside a man dressed as the Pope.
HuffPost UK has contacted representatives for the Grammys for further comment.
Last week, Ariana made headlines when she announced that she wouldn’t be attending the Grammys, accusing producer Ken Ehrlich of lying about the reasons behind her cancelled performance.
When he suggested that she “felt it was too late for her to pull something together”, Ariana responded: “I’ve kept my mouth shut but now you’re lying about me. I can pull together a performance over night and you know that, Ken. It was when my creativity & self expression was stifled by you, that I decided not to attend. I hope the show is exactly what you want it to be and more.”
Despite her no-show, Ariana still managed to have her red carpet moment, sharing a photo of herself in the gown she would have worn to the event, and celebrated her win for Best Pop Vocal Album.