Real Celebrity Feuds Vs. Publicity Stunts

There's a major diss war going on between mid-twenties rapper, Nicki Minaj and mid-thirties rapper, Lil' Kim that is getting pretty ugly. Gossip sites can't seem to even agree who started it, although the consensus seems to be that Lil' Kim began it by saying a few unflattering things about Nicki Minaj in a couple of interviews. Minaj then made some rather pointed references to a jealous older female rapper she calls a "has been" and a "lil' ho" in a set with Eminem. Slim Shady chimes in with "Nicki she just mad 'cause you took the spot," and Nicki Minaj goes on to threaten bodily harm via third parties in Brooklyn!

We all love a good celebrity feud and there have been some real doozies recently; yet, at the same time, it is well known that press agents and celebrities themselves sometimes cook up these little blowups just to get some red hot publicity. Then they milk it for all it's worth and at some later point, someone 'fesses up that it wasn't even real to begin with.

Nikki Minaj's man, Drake has commented on the feud, naturally taking his lady's side. That's not only rather predictable but quite sensible. Also, predictably, Lil' Kim has since responded. She calling Nicki Minaj a "Lil' Kim clone clown" For Eminem to involve himself and take a side, however, I'm smelling a publicity stunt, but does it really stink?

The bottom line is "cui bono," as they say in Latin. Who benefits? Everyone benefits, if it's a publicity stunt. The public gets entertained by some juicy disses and when it's the rap world, some very inventive rhymes, and everyone gets to root for their favorite. If a celebrity cares to venture a comment (the more inflammatory the better), is sure to get quoted. Ultimately, the whole thing will blow over after a while when it's just a publicity stunt. Die-hard fans rarely switch their allegiances no matter who is perceived to be right.

If it's not a publicity stunt, that's a whole different animal. It's not even unique to the music world. In the competitive world of sports, sometimes the tensions get out of control and erupt into violence. Texans' wide-receiver, Andre Johnson, got into quite the physical scuffle with Tennessee cornerback, Cortland Finnegan on Sunday, November 28, 2010, at Reliant Stadium. Although it is not the first time the two have engaged in conflict, it was the first time they ripped each other's helmets off and commenced to fist fight in the fourth quarter of a football game. Just this season alone, Finnegan has been fined three times by the NFL for his unruly and provocative behavior. Andre Johnson apparently had enough and it was on, game or no game! Both players could have been suspended, but the NFL decided instead to impose a $25,000 fine on each.

In early November 2010, two horse racing jockeys, Calvin Borel and Javier Castellano, got into a physical altercation after the Breeder's Cup Marathon race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. Borel received a fine and Castellano got a lesser fine but a six-day suspension.

On the even more extreme side of the spectrum, there is Suge Knight's alleged extortion of Vanilla Ice by dangling him out of a window upside down and the still unsolved murders of Tupac Shakur and Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace.

When you look at it that way, the publicity stunt may be a hoax and a manipulation but it's comparatively harmless.

Sources
Billboard - The Juice: Is Nicki Minaj Attacking Lil Kim On 'Roman's Revenge' Track?
Gossip Berry: Lil' Kim Fires Back at Nicki Minaj
Chron.com: Texans WR Johnson fined, not suspended for fighting
NY Daily News: Calvin Borel fined $5,000 for fight with Javier Castellano, who is hit for $2,500 and a six-day ban