Ariana Grande, Jessie J, and Nicki Minaj teamed up on a powerhouse live cut of “Bang Bang” at the MTV Video Music Awards, and normally that would be the headline in itself. However, the performance made headlines not only for the star-studded show, but also for Minaj’s wardrobe malfunction and her grace in handling the issue when it came up at the last moment. In a rush to change outfits in between her two performances that night, the zipper on Minaj’s dress failed moments before she went onstage.
Unfazed by this, Minaj hit the stage anyway, holding her little black dress together with her hands and rapping her verses like a boss. Minaj later said on the Ellen DeGeneres Show that, “I didn’t have any underwear on – no underwear, no bra – ’cause I had just taken off the ‘Anaconda’ outfit, so I was butt-ass naked.” Jessie J and Grande slayed their vocals like queens and the whole performance was hella hype despite the issue, as the show must go on.
Numerous fans in the comments highlighted how out of this world Jessie J’s vocals on the song were. Fans also praised Minaj’s professionalism in hitting the stage despite the wardrobe malfunction, adding comments such as, “This performance is why Nicki is a legend. Any other female rapper wouldn’t perform. I promise you they wouldn’t,” and “Can we just appreciate Nicki for still putting on a show even though her zipper was broken.”
While talking to Ellen, Minaj said she had 50 seconds to change from her “Anaconda” outfit to the “Bang Bang” outfit. During that time, she realized that Jessie J and Grande were wearing black and white. To match the color scheme, she chose to ditch her green two-piece outfit, over which the black dress was meant to go. Then, the zip on the dress broke, and she was out of time and had to go onstage in just the broken dress. “And right there I thought I died,” she told Ellen.
https://youtu.be/BWDWMKNsKjk?si=RNENTnnIvfJ_2vaM
At the end of the interview, Ellen, always willing to help a friend in need, gave the Trinidadian rapper a truly gigantic sparkling safety pin for use in the future in case any more wardrobe malfunctions pop up. Minaj, ever a good sport, had a giggle with the audience when she got the gift.
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