When Roman Goes Republican: A Look into Nicki Minaj’s Latest Political Controversy
How one of the world’s most popular artists went from the president’s loudest critic to his biggest cheerleader.
by Kacie Moschella ★ January 9th, 2025
Photo credit: Lola Jeanne Carpio
In the words of Minaj herself, “Calling all Barbs, calling all Barbs!”
Nicki Minaj goes by many names—the razor-tongued Nicki the Ninja, sexually-charged Nicki Lewinsky and the eccentric Roman Zolanski, an alter ego who Minaj herself described as “a blond homosexual man from London, England.” To reign over the critics, the streets and radio broadcasts, a musician must hold on tight to the core identity and artistry at the center of their craft. This balancing act is especially difficult for women, especially those of color, trying to break through in the music landscape. Minaj has contended with these double standards and high expectations for over two decades now. Her biggest chart-toppers have come with songs like 2014’s sexually explicit “Anaconda,” and the vivacious “Super Bass” from her 2010 debut album; yet, instead of answering calls from her fans to return to making art, Minaj chose to alienate her core Black and queer fanbase in favor of a conservative pivot.
A Moment That Shocked Fans
When Minaj stepped onstage in Phoenix, Arizona, for a surprise appearance at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest on Sunday, December 21st, as a lifelong Barb, even I was shocked. We have known the Queen of Rap to have many flaws: she’s combative with other women in the industry and a known defender of sexual predators. Yet Minaj spoke out about President Donald J. Trump back in 2020 and said that she was “not gonna jump on the Donald Trump bandwagon.” What changed?
Complicated History, Complicated Politics
To begin: Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty is not technically an American citizen, having been born in Trinidad. Minaj has also been a steadfast supporter of the LGBTQIAP+ community in past years, offering words of encouragement to her queer fans and, at one point, describing herself as bisexual. Despite Minaj’s Trinidadian heritage and prior queer identity, this case is not the first incident of her expressing controversial views: between marrying a convicted sex offender and spreading vaccine misinformation, Miss Petty is no stranger to scandal.
Because of rap’s sexist cap on women who dominate the genre, Minaj was clearly bothered when other women also climbed the hip-hop ranks. And whatever pressure was there in the 2010s, she rose to the occasion with commercially successful albums like The Pinkprint and Queen. Never lacking for attitude or charisma, Minaj’s earlier music is still exhilarating to listen to.
Minaj has always existed at the center of so many cultural conversations about image, celebrity and popular culture. From Michael Jackson to Patti Labelle, Minaj drops various cultural references throughout her discography that, being a lifelong Barb, gave me a decent background on fashion, sports and music. With her recent social media controversies, Minaj frequently forgets that the most interesting thing about her artistry, the thing that earned her a hive of bloodthirsty stans who will harass anybody speaking ill of the Queen, is her music. A great example of this is “Barbie Dreams,” which samples The Notorious B.I.G. 's “Just Playing (Dreams)” and Minaj’s own “Dreams 07” from an early mixtape. The song is a flawless combination of her two best modes: malfunctioning fembot and ruthless wordsmith. The playful lyrics highlight the kind of quick wit that earned her the spotlight in the first place. Minaj has clearly spent her entire career rejecting labels and making music she believed in.
From Cultural Icon to Political Lightning Rod
Instead of ignoring the industry noise and continuing to make art, Minaj chose to further constrain her ambition and talent by becoming a conservative mouthpiece. Minaj’s apparent move from a more democratic viewpoint to a Republican one was signalled when she was interviewed by Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk and new CEO of Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization founded by her late husband. This appearance is the completion of an arc that has seen her move firmly to the right of the aisle, as Minaj also appeared at the United Nations in support of the Trump administration in November to speak out about the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
Minaj has since posted favorably on X about both Trump and Vice President JD Vance, whom she praised at the Turning Point conference. This has, in turn, been met with immense backlash from even her most ardent defenders, particularly her LGBTQIA+ fans. One TikTok video, shared by the creator, Ava Lisette, says, “Like girl, what did you think was gonna happen? It’s genuinely so crazy to me. What was going on in her mind, knowing what her fanbase is, knowing that her fanbase is mainly queer people of color.”
Legacy at a Crossroads and What Nicki Minaj Means to Fans Now
11 days after Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September, the luminaries of the Conservative movement and Trump’s administration gathered at a memoorial to pay tribute to the activist. Trump made various remarks at the tribute, but what I believe stayed with Minaj and, ultimately, changed her mind politically was Trump’s closing statement at this event: “I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them.”
Hatred is also where Minaj’s heart is. Between bad-mouthing Cardi B’s children on a social media tirade and dissing Megan Thee Stallion’s late mother, Minaj resents the space she carved for other Black female artists in the industry, and hatefully lashes out at them in favor of making community, much like those at the forefront of the MAGA movement. Over the past three years, Minaj has existed in an interesting place in hip-hop history. For a while, Minaj was the only female MC who could make global, cross-cultural hits and sell out the world’s biggest stadiums. However, in the wake of her own success, all the things that made Minaj stand out seem to be occupied by a generation of female artists built in her image.
As of late, Minaj’s name has been brought up more for controversy than anything else. But, even then, the story of how Nicki Minaj changed the music industry is still worth telling, even if it might be overshadowed by her recent choices.
Edited by: Rezi Ubogu & Maia Simmons