(Nicki Minaj performs at the 2012 Grammy Awards)
By Sowmya Krishnamurthy
Nicki Minaj's headline-grabbing mock exorcism performance at the recent Grammy Awards, complete with religious epithets, speaking in tongues, backup dancers dressed as priests and imagery from the 1973 classic horror film "The Exorcist," appears to be just the tip of the iceberg. At last night's MAC Viva Glam cosmetics benefit in NYC, the rapper explained that her controversial onscreen antics serve a preview for an upcoming movie.
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"You know how people write plays and movies? That's what I did. I wrote that and I gave the world a tiny little preview of what was to come. And so I have to perform it on the set in which it would be in the movie, right?" she said, according to CBS. Minaj's theatrics heightened the debut of her new single "Roman Holiday," in which the rapper plays her haunted and somewhat demented alter-ego Roman Zolanski. "Roman Holiday" will appear on Nicki's upcoming album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded slated for April 3rd.
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Critics and fans have received it with mixed reviews. MTV News spoke with choreographer Laurieann Gibson, who gushed about the spectacle and explained what really happened behind the scenes. "Well, I'm not really moved by what people say; I'm moved by what it is and again just a big 'thank you' to the Grammys. I was super-proud about the execution and really excited about how well Nicki performed," she said. "[Her] being a rap queen, it was really amazing to see rap music at that level and have the ability, at that level, to perform something so theatrical."