People News

Nicki Minaj's Grammy performance angers Catholic League

Feb 14, 2012, 9:02 GMT

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj has upset a right wing Catholic group by pushing boundaries with her raunchy performance at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.

The over-the-top rap star took to the stage to perform her new song 'Roman Holiday' in the guise of her alter ego 'Roman Zolanski', having arrived on the red carpet with a male partner dressed as the Pope.

The motif of the performance along with Nicki's antics has upset the religious group, Us Weekly magazine reports.

Amid a wild show, at one point Minaj even pretended to be speaking in tongues. The Catholic League's president Bill Donahue condemned the performance in a press release on Monday.

He said: 'Whether Minaj is possessed is surely an open question. But what is not in doubt is the irresponsibility of The Recording Academy. Never would they allow an artist to insult Judaism or Islam.'

He continued: 'It's bad enough that Catholics have to fight for their rights vis-à-vis a hostile administration in Washington without also having to fend off attacks in the entertainment industry.'

Speaking on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show on Monday, 29-year-old Minaj explained her alter ego's behaviour, saying: 'I had this vision for Roman for him to be sort of exorcised. People around him tell him he's not good enough because he's not normal and he's not blending in with the Average Joe.'