BULLETT

I will confess: I, like many other usually reasonable bloggers, didn’t have the finest reaction to the initial revelation that Nicki Minaj had apparently endorsed Mitt Romney in a song. My nostrils flared, my pulse quickened; it seemed imminently foolish, and not the type of forward-thinking political action she’d previously seemed capable of. (Because who would expect right-wing platitudes from an artist condemned by the Catholic League?) But here to clarify things is President Obama, who offered his thoughts on the maybe-endorsement in an interview with a Florida radio station. “Yeah, I’m not sure that’s exactly what happened,” Obama said. “She likes to play different characters.” So obvious!

Rappers aren’t always literally saying what they mean because of metaphors and shit. And he didn’t even need a think piece to do it. He also noted that he doesn’t think his daughters listen to Minaj, which is a sort of shade-throwing in its own right, in the sense that it’s not insulting at all but it’s really, really amusing to imagine him starting beef with anyone on Young Money Entertainment. (Gudda Gudda wasn’t available?) Either way, it’s too late for either Romney or Obama to snag her for a convention appearance, so that’s probably the final word on this story. You can listen to the Romney-endorsing song below and decide for yourself.