Nicki Minaj has come to the defense of former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson, who is currently facing accusations of Blackfishing and cultural appropriation for her latest music video, ‘Boyz.’
“Blackfishing”, is a term coined to reflect the perception that somebody has cosmetically enhanced their appearance through makeup and hairstyles to appear as if they have black heritage. Artists like Rita Ora, Bhad Bhabie, and Ariana Grande have all faced criticism for accusations of “Blackfishing.”
Jesy Nelson was previously accused of “Blackfishing” in 2018, when she altered her appearance through donning cornrows, overlining her lips, and deepening her fake tan. The pop star was asked about the Blackfishing accusations in a new interview with Vulture, where she mused:
“I love Black culture. I love Black music. That’s all I know; it’s what I grew up on,” Jesy said. “I’m very aware that I’m a white British woman; I’ve never said that I wasn’t.
“I take all those comments made seriously. I would never intentionally do anything to make myself look racially ambiguous, so that’s why I was initially shocked that the term was directed at me.”
Watch ‘Boyz’ by Jesy Nelson Ft. Nicki Minaj
In the days following the release of ‘Boyz,’ drama ensued. It was reported that the remaining members of Little Mix — Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jade Thirlwall — all unfollowed Jesy’s Instagram account.
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TikTok star NoHun revealed a string of screenshotted messages to him that allegedly show Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock raise concerns over her former bandmate’s presentation, and reportedly claiming that she “blocked us.”
Nicki Minaj stridently came to Nelson’s defense during an Instagram Live conversation between the pair.
“Sweetheart, take them text messages and shove it up your fucking ass,” Nicki said. “When you do clown shit, I gotta treat you and talk to you like you a clown. [You] don’t have to come out and try to ruin anyone. Let her enjoy this time.”
Nicki continued to direct her ire towards Leigh-Anne, stating that she was “in this woman’s roof and you ain’t talk about this shit for 10 years.”
“And as soon as you see she got a video coming out with Nicki Minaj and Puffy, now you sending stations text messages and all this shit, print those messages out, busy yo ass open and shove it up your motherfucking ass,” she said.
Jesy Nelson says Leigh-Anne Pinnock made her aware of Blackfishing allegations during the music video shoot for “Sweet Melody”:
“It’s just hard for me because I was in a group with two women of color for 9 years and it was never brought up to me up until the last music video…” pic.twitter.com/jBfIOJmIGR
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 11, 2021
