World-famous rapper Nicki Minaj has apologised for featuring Nazi-style imagery in her new video.
The video, for her song Only, features swastika-style flags, a gas mask with the word “chamber” over it and shows the rap star being saluted by troops wearing red armbands.
Online commenters branded it as offensive, with one posting: “The new Nicki Minaj video is disturbing. Using blatant Nazi imagery is both shocking and deeply disrespectful.”
Ms Minaj issued a statement on Twitter yesterday. She said: “I didn't come up w/the concept, but I'm very sorry & take full responsibility if it has offended anyone. I'd never condone Nazism in my art.”
She added in other tweets: “Both the producer, & person in charge of overseeing the lyric video (one of my best friends & videographer: A. Loucas), happen to be Jewish.
“The artist who made the lyric video for Only was influenced by a cartoon on Cartoon Network called Metalocalypse and (the film) Sin City.”
Rabbi Steven Burg, a director of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, described the video as “very disturbing”.
He said: “It is clearly a play on Nazi imagery, especially with the armbands and hanging banners. There are some things which should be off limits, and one of those is imitating Nazis.
“It’s things like this which groups use to show that Nazis and some people being greater than other people is cool.
“I find it offensive. In some countries creating Nazi imagery is outlawed, and I think an apology from Nicki Minaj would be appropriate.”