With three MTV VMA nominations under her belt, you wouldn’t expect Nicki Minaj to be shouting foul play from the rafters. But apparently three nods just isn’t enough for the pop diva, who’s gone and done just that after her video “Anaconda” failed to gain a nomination in the video of the year category. 

After taking to twitter in an effort to vent her anger, Minaj lashed out at nominee Taylor Swift in a cloaked remark she vehemently denies was targeted at the artist, brandishing the race card and the It’s-because-I’m-not-skinny-enough card simultaneously – proving in one foul swoop that women truly are masters of multi-tasking.

If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015

It wasn’t long before Swift replied, questioning why exactly Minaj felt it necessary to aim the cross-hairs at the “Bad Blood” artist. And so the war of words began.

@NICKIMINAJ I’ve done nothing but love & support you. It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot..

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 21, 2015

Nothing I said had to do with Taylor. So what jabs? White media and their tactics. So sad. That’s what they want. https://t.co/AfcwoyDvpg

— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015


But I’m not here to list the jabs that each artist took respectively. I’m here because the outburst – an incident I’m now referring to as #anacondagate – encapsulates the issue of prejudice, a seemingly reoccurring topic when it comes to the music industry.

Considering the only other woman nominated in the video of the year category was Beyonce, it not only confirms Swift was the target, but simultaneously disproves Minaj’s point that you need to be white and embrace skinny to win awards – with Beyonce not only being black, but also being an outspoken ambassador for all things curvaceous. 

If we take a look at this years nominees, 43 out of the 75 total nominations include black artists. 

That’s more-or-less fifty-percent. 

Not only that, but of the 5 nominees in contention for music video of the year, only Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are white – well 2 and a half if you count Mark Ronson in his collaboration with Bruno Mars on the record breaking “Uptown Funk”.

I know at this point people will be shouting ‘of course you’re responding like this, you’re white,’ but I’m basing this on undeniable figures that are clear for all to see, not personal opinion or a war against ‘Black Twitter’ as Pierce Morgan so eloquently put it. I could understand Minaj if there was a massive bias with regards to black vs. white nominations. If there were no black nominees for video of the year. If Minaj had been sidelined altogether and not been nominated in three other categories. But that’s simply not the case.
I’m not always confident. Just tired. Black women influence pop culture so much but are rarely rewarded for it. https://t.co/2xOvJzBXJX

— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) July 21, 2015

I’m fed up of the race card being pulled out in these situations. What about hispanic artists? What about Asian artists? Where are their nominations?

The fact of the matter is, it’s not an issue of race. Nominations are based on mass popularity, how many artists from the aforementioned cultures have had hit singles dominating the charts in the last twelve months? With a very limited number of nominees, of course thoroughly deserving people – both black and white – are going to be left off the list.

We all know the music industry is a fickle place. One day you’re the hottest thing since sliced bread, and the next you’ll find yourself queuing at the Job Centre with Steve Brookstein. It’s a precarious world, but surely that should promote solidarity and support among artists, not call for them to start cat fights.

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