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Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj spoke out on race and police brutality in a new Rolling Stone interview

Rapper says black artists are reluctant to speak out on political matters.

2014 MTV Video Music Awards - Arrivals - California AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

IN AN INTERVIEW with Rolling Stone, Nicki Minaj has stated that she believes black artists are reluctant to speak out on political matters due to the criticism Kanye West endured after his infamous George W. Bush rant.

The rapper was asked about the recent death of Eric Garner, who was killed by police officers through a chokehold.

It’s sickening, and I’ve been reading so many people saying, ‘Why are we surprised?’ That’s what’s really sad: that we should somehow be used to being treated like animals.

She further stated that black people feel like there’s “no accountability” if a police officer kills a black person.

As for her thoughts on why prominent black figures from the entertainment industry have largely stayed silent on the killings of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice, Minaj points to Kanye.

People say, ‘Why aren’t black celebrities speaking out more?’ But look what happened to Kanye when he spoke out. People told him to apologize to Bush!

She described West’s silence on recent matters as “sad”.

He was the unofficial spokesman for hip-hop, and he got torn apart. And now you haven’t heard him speaking about these last couple things, and it’s sad. Because how many times can you be made to feel horrible for caring about your people before you say, ‘F** it, it’s not worth it, let me live my life because I’m rich, and why should I give a f***?’

In 2005, Kanye West accused President George W. Bush of not caring about black people, citing the government’s delayed emergency response to Hurricane Katrina.

President Bush later cited the incident as a low point in his presidency and West apologised for the comment in 2010.

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