Nicki Minaj Refuses To Perform “Starships,” Calls Song “Stupid”

Nicki Minaj recently disappointed fans during a live performance due to her refusal to perform her 2012 hit single “Starships,” revealing that she doesn’t intend to include the song in her setlist moving forward.

In a clip that surfaced on TikTok, Nicki, who headlined Miami’s E11EVEN event on New Year’s Eve, can be seen signaling for the DJ to cut off the record after allowing the audience to sing the opening lyrics on the song. “Hold on. Psych, psych, psych, psych. I don’t perform that song no more, y’all,” the 41-year-old told the audience, voicing her disdain for the track.

“I don’t like it, what y’all want me to do?” she added, deeming the song as “stupid.” Minaj then launched into “Super Bass,” another fan favorite from her catalog, however, her decision not to perform “Starships” elicited a smattering of “boos” from concertgoers displeased by the move. Released in 2012, “Starships” was the lead single from the rapper’s sophomore album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded and was a massive hit, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Yet, the critical reception of the song was polarizing, with a number of fans and pundits decrying its departure from the brand of music that had initially brought her to prominence. In recent years, Nicki herself has shared her resentment for “Starships,” deeming it as one of her most questionable releases to date. “I hate ‘Starships,’ I mean ew, ‘Starships?’” she told Pollstar Live in 2020. “I’m like, ‘Why did I do that? I really think that every time I hear it.”

Nicki Minaj recently released Pink Friday 2, her fifth studio album and her first full-length release in five years. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and made Nicki the female rapper with the most No. 1 albums on the chart in history with three. She broke a tie previously held with Foxy Brown, whose first two albums, 1996’s Ill Na Na, and her 1999 album, Chyna Doll, both peaked atop the Billboard 200.