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Parasocial relationships are a psychological phenomena in which an audience feels as if they have a real and personal connection with a popular mass media celebrity. This phenomenon is not new; in the ‘60s and ‘70s, “Beatlemania” took America by storm with the international debut of the Beatles. The wave of Beatles fans during this time became one of the first examples of a “crazed fan-base,” and set a precedent for other celebrities like Elvis Presely to utilize this fan-base for popularity. Soon followed the archetype of “fan-girls” and the “stan,” who were fanatics that felt the celebrity they idolized was specifically making music for them and them only. In the eyes of musicians and record labels, having a strong, passionate fan-base is good because that means guaranteed sales. Given that the internet did not exist when Beatlemania onset, having a loyal fan base was necessary to be successful.
The internet has made way for fandom culture to flourish. Nicki Minaj has created a community of people with a common love of her using the internet. Now Barbz from all over the world are able to freely communicate with other Barbz. This has been positive, for example: the use of the hashtag “Barbz4Bernie,” to rally for the political candidate in 2020 sparked a movement of getting younger people involved in politics. Despite the positive impact Barbz have had at points, their influence, however, has also made way for some serious negative consequences.
Barbz are known for harassing “rivals” of Minaj. Her feud with Cardi B is a perfect example of this harassment. Since Cardi B’s debut in 2017 with her breakout hit, “Bodak Yellow,” Barbz have been continuously attacking her as they feel she is trying to replace Minaj as the queen of rap. This harassment is still seen today, with the comments and replies on anything Cardi does is filled with hate from Barbz. This harrassment extends past Cardi; even music reviewers who gave positive critiques to her 2018 album Invasion of Privacy received harassment, doxxing, and even death threats. This highlights the dangerous aspects of stan culture, demonstrating the very real consequences of when fandom involvement starts having negative real world effects.
The Jennifer Hough case is a testament to the overzealousness that Barbz have. Jennifer Hough, 43, was sexually assaulted by Minaj’s husband in 1994. The details of the case are chilling: Petty forcibly assaulted Hough at knifepoint after picking her up on the street. Hough immediately ran to school, 16 at the time, and reported what Petty had done to her. He was convicted and sentenced to jail time that he served. As a result of the incident, Petty is a registered sex offender in the state of New York. Though this case is over 20 years old, it has resurfaced in the media because of Petty’s high-profile relationship with Minaj.
Minaj has not remained silent on this situation. Time and time again, she has gone on record to defend her husband. In multiple interviews and instances, Minaj has blatantly lied about the details of this case. Some of these include Minaj falsely stating that Hough and Petty were in a relationship, and that Hough was actually a white woman. Both of these are untrue, and reveal a sinister attempt to try to paint Hough as the “lying white woman” stereotype that has led to numerous Black men being killed for false accusations. Not only that, but the implication that being in a relationship means that consent is always given in sexual encounters is not only rooted in misogyny, but also a common defense of domestic rapists that is upheld in court to this day.
This is not Minaj’s first time in this position: she has been criticized before for her public approval of abusive men. Brooklyn rapper, Tekashi 6ix9ine, is one of these men that Minaj has worked with on multiple occasions. In 2015, Tekashi, real name Daniel Hernandez, pleaded guilty to use of a child in a sexual performance, but did not serve jail time. This is public record on Tekashi, and has been well known about him. Minaj, however, did not see an issue with this, and collaborated with Tekashi on viral hits “FEFE” and “Trollz,” publicly co-signing him. Minaj has publicly stated that she does not find issue working with and promoting Tekashi. The public admonishment of a known child predator is morally reprehensible enough, but Minaj actively chooses to put herself in these situations.
Nicki Minaj is no stranger to other types of controversy as well. In a tweet posted Sep. 13, Minaj sent the Twitterverse into chaos by announcing that the reason she did not attend the Met Gala was because she did not want to get vaccinated without her own prior research. Following this Tweet, she details an alleged incident where her cousin’s friend in Trinidad had testicular swelling due to the vaccine. This storm of chaos brought up conversations on vaccine safety. Political commentator Hasan Piker replied to Minaj, creating a storm of fighting and harassment. Criticism of Minaj ensued; some felt it was dangerous to bring so much hesitancy during a time where COVID-19 deaths were spiking. The spike in vaccine hesitancy from this cannot be measured, but considering how influential Minaj is, it is dangerous during these times to spread such misinformation.