Nicki Minaj Attempts To Show She's More Relevant Than Lil Kim In "Stupid Hoe" Video

Nicki Minaj Attempts To Show She’s More Relevant Than Lil Kim In “Stupid Hoe” Video

My first reaction to this video was, “This is garbage. It looks like what Nicki came up with after watching the ‘Super Bass’ video on acid.” It’s a mess. I didn’t enjoy watching this video and can’t imagine I’ll ever watch it again, but it’s not as bad as it appears on first glance. Upon further review, there are a number of parts that I appreciate. They aren’t tied together in any cohesive way, but at least there’s something there.

Everyone knows this track is aimed at Lil’ Kim, and there are certainly a few good verses to that effect. However, this video expands on that idea and is Nicki’s attempt to draw a contrast and show that there are many women who she does not believe to be stupid hoes.

The cage, which first shows up at 1:16, is the setting for an extended reference (dancing included) to Shakira’s “She Wolf” video. At the 1:20 mark, the backup dancers are reminiscent of Beyonce in the video for “Sweet Dreams.” Starting at 2:33 the video is reminiscent of Jessie J’s “Price Tag” video, both with the oversized objects and the princess/ballerina aesthetic. Immediately after, Nicki has Gaga eyes. That pink hair Nicki has to varying degrees throughout the video? Katy Perry.

Nicki spares no expense (actually, many expenses) trying to show that she is considerably more relevant than Lil Kim. She has a backup dancer with a shirt emblazoned with the name of her next album, and towards the end the screen explodes with references to her (maybe?) playing at the Super Bowl in a couple weeks.

The video isn’t just Nicki Minaj telling Lil Kim she sucks. It’s Nicki Minaj saying, “We could have been friends. I respect ALL of these peers, but I don’t respect you anymore.” She manages to do this in a way that uniquely fits her. The contrast between bright colors and a song trashing someone else is quintessentially Nicki Minaj. As an idea for a video, this is good. In practice though, it doesn’t really work. There’s nothing to tie the video together. I mean, really nothing.

- Dan Spritz

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January 27th, 2012 | Dan | 1 Comment |