What on earth is going on with Nicki Minaj?!

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."  Hosea 4:6.

    **The following is not meant to be a personal attack on Ms. Minaj or anyone else mentioned, but I must speak the truth regarding people's actions and the messages that it sends to the world.**

    DWDI Readers, I am sure that many of you are familiar with the female rapper Nicki Minaj.  She is known for her "unusual" rap lyrics (and for speaking gibberish during her songs in addition to her vulgar language), outfits, facial expressions as she raps (and speaks gibberish), and her rather large behind.  Well, I am probably one of the few people who did not watch the Grammy's last night and see Ms. Minaj perform.  However, one of my good friends sent me a link of what Ms. Minaj wore to the awards show and another link to her performance last night titled "The Exorcism of Roman":

As I watched the performance, all I could think of was: WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON WITH THIS CHICK?! I was SHOCKED to say the least when I saw these things! I'm not even Catholic and I found it offensive, especially when the choir started singing "Come All Ye Faithful" as Ms. Minaj levitated and a priest or bishop walked out on stage (well, being offended at that should be universal)! And, people associated with the Catholic faith are none too thrilled with her performance either.

    I would like to touch on what Ms. Minaj is doing with her "Roman" alter-ego and what she is portraying to the audience with her performance:  

•      As of late, Ms. Minaj has "become" her alter-ego named "Roman," and "his emancipation" is what we saw. She has said that Roman is her "twin" who appears when she is angry and he is a "demon" inside of her.  Um, what?! A demon?! Now, granted, some would chalk up Ms. Minaj's performance to her background in drama, but speaking of yourself as being possessed by a demon is not okay.  Look at James 3: 3-8.  The tongue is VERY POWERFUL and must be controlled because it can cause a lot of damage (think about how you feel when someone says something hurtful).  Ms. Minaj is speaking "Roman" into existence and using "Roman" to say and do all sorts of inappropriate things (sexually charged language, foul language, crude dance moves, etc.)
•      Additionally, demons are not imaginary friends.  They are evil spirits that torture their human victims.  Look at Matthew 8: 28-34.  This poor man had to live a solitary life near the tombs because of demonic possession when man is not meant to be alone (why God created Eve for Adam).  The demons that tortured this man were so destructive that they caused nearby pigs to plummet to their deaths after Jesus drove them out of the tortured man.  Demonic possession is not a game or a gimmic; it is real.  The fact that Ms. Minaj makes light of it in her Grammy performance to an audience of both believers and non-believers is troubling (I have no idea if Ms. Minaj is Christian).  "Roman" plus the other acts in this performance are just a hot mess, for lack of a better term.  It was like the scene from The Ten Commandments when the Hebrews turned away from God and made the Golden Calf ( link to conclusion of the Golden Calf scene is here if you are interested) on a smaller scale made complete with the choir I previously mentioned.  Is it because she does not fully understand what she is saying, doing, and endorsing/condoning?  Fellow rappers Drake and Lil' Wayne are no great role models so I am sure that they see nothing wrong with her performance.
•      Something of a similar nature could also be said of Beyonce (who has said she is Christian) and her "Sasha Fierce" alter-ego and Beyonce's more sexually charged performances and lyrics over the years.  This may be an even bigger problem given Beyonce's fame, her professed status as a Christian, and the fact that her husband, Jay-Z, is not Christian.

I would like to think that Ms. Minaj had no idea of what she was saying or doing and she will soon realize what she is doing is wrong (Beyonce, on the other hand, should already know what she is doing is wrong, but if she does not, I hope she realizes it as well).  Unfortunately, she and "Roman" (and Beyonce) have a powerful influence over kids, teens, and adults who also may not realize how serious demons and demonic possession are in the war we wage against evil in the world.  All we can do as believers is try to live as Christ lived, to hold ourselves and other believers accountable, and to pray for others to find Christ and to do the same.