Nicki Minaj has officially dropped the music video for her "Hard White" track off of Queen, her fourth and latest studio album. The cryptic-themed visuals, produced by Keith Brown and Krista Worby and directed by Mike Ho, position the rapper as the ruler of a dark and ominous world. The video opens with Minaj wearing an ornate and spiky crown while draped in a black gown. Zombie-like creatures flash in and out of the screen, setting a sinister mood.
As the haunting visuals progress, subtle details pop up that some fans have deemed were targeted at the Grammys and Drake. For starters, a scorpion appears in one scene and then breaks into pieces just as Minaj says the lyrics, "Got these b—-es shook, they shocked, no stun gun," leading many to believe that she was dissing Drake, whose newest album takes the same name as the creature. In another instance, a gramophone similar to a Grammy award shows up just as the artist raps, "I’m the trophy of the game, everybody tryna win me." This seemingly addresses the fact that Minaj received no nominations for the upcoming awards show despite releasing Queen in time for eligibility (the musician has been nominated for the accolade ten times in her career, though she’s claimed zero wins).
Despite the Grammys snub, the rapper’s record went platinum earlier this month, achieving the feat on the same day as Lil Wayne‘s The Carter V.
Check out the full "Hard White" video above.
Source: HYPEBEAST